Trees and Other Related Topics
I’m an arborist, dendrologist, educator, and author
I’m endlessly fascinated by trees and the way they interact with our world, and I’ve made it my mission to explore as many of these relationships as I can. Trees are connected to us (and everything else, for that matter) in ways that are often surprising. I love finding those curious connections that seem so improbable, but also those that seem obvious yet have much broader implications than it appears at first glance.
As an arborist, I consult on how trees and people interact and provide expert advice on most things tree-related through Portland Arboriculture.
As an educator and speaker, I teach about dendrology, ecology, biology, physiology, and just about any other ‘-ology’ you can think of—as long as it has some relation to trees (spoiler: I bet it does). I’ve done this with Alex Crowson on our podcast Completely Arbortrary since 2021.
Most recently I’ve focused my efforts on connecting people to the trees around them by helping them learn their names. My book The Trees Around You: How to Identify Common Neighborhood Trees in the Pacific Northwest is my most ambitious project to date and focuses on the tangible, personal connections we make with trees in our backyards, along our streets, and in across or towns and cities.
With over 350 different species, more than 1,000 photographs, and dozens of quick identification guides to make it easy and accessible to everyone, I designed this book so you can pick it up, walk outside, and identify the tree growing right outside your window. Think of it as an urban tree field guide.
Whether you’re new to the Pacific Northwest or you’ve been here for years, this identification guide will open your eyes to the staggering diversity of trees we have here and will teach you all the ins and outs of the wonderful world of tree identification.
Each week my friend Alex Crowson and I introduce a new tree species from around the world and dive into what makes it unique. Every episode features a conversation that revolves around the tree and some related topic ranging from a co-evolutionary bargain with ants to urban forest design to even asking the question what exactly is a tree. We discuss the tree’s merits—and its demerits—and end each conversation with a review and rating of 1-10 Golden Cones of Honor. Low-stakes science, we aim to show how undeniably fascinating trees are, while reminding everyone that your cones are you own.
Tree Walks and Talks
Trees are my passion, and there are few things I like better than sharing that passion with others. I partner with different organizations all the time to provide educational talks covering almost any tree-related topic you can think of. I put on events of my own and through the podcast, also. They pop up all the time, so head over to the Goings-On page for the most up to date list of things that I’m getting up to, or follow along on Instagram.
If you want to get more information, or want to partner with me, feel free to reach out.
You can also sign up for my newsletter to keep up with new fun things, too.
Photo taken by Ryan Gilpin of Nidus Consulting
I love a good collaborative project! I wrote a handful of entries for this fabulous book, TREE: Exploring the Arboreal World and assisted the editors as a part of their technical advisory committee for choosing the artwork. It was such a great project, and I would love to do more.
If you want to collaborate on a project, please reach out! The sky is the limit.
