Seattle's Biggest Trees

Hey Everyone,

I've always loved trees and spend a lot of time outdoors. I've recently become interested in Redwood trees and as a result of a little reading and research and thinking, I now find trees of all types occupying probably way too much mind space! As I learn more about trees and their role on this planet, what affects them and what they affect, I'm naturally wanting to see the biggest or most beautiful examples of each species.

When I read about Redwoods I learned of their history on the planet and where they're at now. These are old trees and were around 65 million years ago on many areas in the Northern Hemisphere when the K-T meteor impact struck the Yuccatan Peninsula. The dinosaurs likely perished due to this impact and so did many of the worlds other plant species. The Redwoods merely shrugged their shoulders and then proceeded to reign supreme as the dominant tree in the Northern Hemisphere until an ice age 25 million years ago triggered their retreat into what are now Coastal Mountain ranges in Northern California and Southern Oregon.

When you look at a Redwood tree, you are looking at an ancient, ancient thing, and it is one of the only living things we can so clearly see that existed so long ago and in the same form. The way these trees, grow, reproduce, and repair themselves is fascinating and the worlds that exist in their crowns/canopies, on their bark and branches, and the life on them and around the forest that they impact is astounding! Understanding this is what made me start really being interested in all trees and their role, their different structures, etc. and yeah, as a result here I am starting up my first blog.

Just for the sake of knowing that they exist and to quietly enjoy their beauty now and then, I'm going to start a little project finding where all of the biggest trees are in Seattle. I encourage anyone else who shares an interest in trees to participate with me on my blog and start sharing information.

Originally, I discovered that although Redwoods are not native to Seattle now, they do grow here when transplanted in the right spot and conditions. This project was originally going to be me finding out where all of the Redwoods growing in parks in Seattle or residential areas existed, and then branching out to other areas in WA. It still is, but now with all of the big tree types.

I'm one of the economic statistics at the moment and am pretty much realizing I need to reinvent myself. I'm thinking I might want to work with trees which I could always do as a hobby and plan to, but also wondering how long in general it takes to be a trained/certified/real-world-experienced arborist for their bread and butter, and I know that the answer can obviously be completely different based on variables and situations. I'd love to chat with any arborists who have a little time. Maybe we could meet for coffee, or maybe there's a tree you want me to show you or vice versa, and I can ask you a few questions and get some input from you after we know a bit more. I'm starting to research this myself now, but nothing like a face-to-face conversation or even getting a chance to see what you do. What are your challenges as well as the highs and lows of your profession.

I'll share information about big trees around Seattle, as I find them, interesting facts, including pics, and please feel free to do the same!