A Stepwise Journey
First month of 2024 in the bag
Life and Ice Storms
Already this year has been a trying one. Hopefully it will mellow out from here.
Personally, a lot has been going on. Some pretty heavy life events with people very close to me have really put into stark relief just how difficult and unexpected life can sometimes be. As a budding author (I think I can say that) and a podcaster producer, host, and storyteller, it’s been a challenge to balance the stresses of real life with the stresses of creating my own work. When my mind is stuck elsewhere, focused on huge life things, it’s hard to pivot and create a lighthearted story about trees or make a silly video about a cone. There’s a certain dissonance that permeates my life right now.
On top of all this, there was a huge ice and wind storm here in the Willamette Valley, and it’s put a lot of focus on trees—negative focus. So in addition to my normal work, I’ve been compelled to try to express the other side of the negative stories that have come out, to try to quell the spreading fear about trees and walk people back from the brink of thinking that all trees are surely dangerous and about to kill them and their cat.
Though it’s been a challenge, I’m happy to report that with the gracious help from my friends and peers (specifically Grace Miller and Roberta Jortner), I’ve written an article and submitted it to a few outlets to see about providing an arborist’s perspective on the winter storm and how trees work. You can find it published on my website here if you’d like to give it a read.
Tree ID Book Update!
In the book realm, I am happy to report that I submitted my first draft materials for the 20% check in! This is basically a mid-way check in with the publisher to see where things are at, provide some content to make sure it’s going well, and generally see how things are progressing. This included the whole front section of the book dedicated to teaching people how to identify trees and introducing what I call the Stepwise Journey.
The Stepwise Journey is basically the spiritual guide for the book and a practical way to get your brain organized and focused on the right bits and parts to successfully identify an unknown tree. So, aside from the technical basics like, “What is a leaf?” or, “What is the name for that thing?” or, “What is the name of the thing between the things that have a name?”, the book will also explain how to use those things to actually figure out the tree’s identity. So hopefully we can keep it in…
I also sent in about 30% of my total trees that will be covered in some regard. Most will have full profiles, but some will just be compared or mentioned because they are either less common, or just confusing enough that one simple note can set them apart. (Think of the beeches: you’ll almost only see the European beech, but every now and then, when all the stars align, you’ll stumble across an American beech. Just counting the veins on the leaves is enough to set them apart, so why not mention it?)
It’s very exciting. In the mean time, I wanted to let you know about some cool things I’m getting up to! If you’re around any of these areas over the next few months and want to get involved, join on up. These will also be posted on my website as I get the details sorted out.
February 2024
OUR LIFE IN TREES - A TREE SCIENCE & CULTURAL CARE WORKSHOP FOR THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY
Join us beneath the canopy of CCC’s vibrant Oregon City campus for a day of tree science and the latest industry insights. We’ll discuss soil science, pests, diseases, pruning and cultural care. We’ll also consider forecasts for our changing industry and climate, and form small groups for guided walking tours of the campus tree collection. We hope you’ll take this opportunity to engage with industry peers and forge new connections. Awarded 6 CEU's
When: Friday February 16,2024
7:30 am PDT
Where: Clackamas Community College
19600 Molalla Ave.
Oregon City, Oregon 97045
Contact: memberservices@pnwisa.org
503-874-8263
COMPLETELY ARBORTRARY
We’ve got new episodes of Completely Arbortrary every week still, so go give one of those a listen. We just covered the European horsechestnut, and I completely messed up my entire story line. Oh well.
March 2024
TREE WALK AT HOYT ARBORETUM
You know I love me a tree walk at Hoyt. This one will be in March and I’m covering CONIFERS! I’m very excited, as usually. Sign up quick, these things fill up fast…
See you in a week or so!