O’Brien’s passion as a tree rescuer started five years ago when a neighbor near his Key Peninsula property in Washington state removed scores of old-growth trees. Not only did the trees’ removal cut back on his privacy, but he noticed that the owls and other birds who had made the trees their home could no longer be heard. His spread at one time had been full of holly trees but eventually had become pastureland. O’Brien decided he wanted to build his own forest, one tree and one weekend at a time.
His one-man tree adoption campaign then began as he would scout for trees targeted for bulldozers or chainsaws. O’Brien also searches for such trees on Craigslist and also posts announcements about his tree adoption mission as well. Japanese maples, crab apple tree,s and Douglas firs are among the trees that have found a new life on the property O’Brien shares with his wife, Michelle McCormick.
The work is hard and laborious. A wide and deep circle has to be dug around the tree and sometimes a taproot can prove near impossible to extract out of the ground. Not every tree rescue is a success: one-fifth of the transplanted trees die in their new home. O’Brien actually prefers to dig during the rain when the ground is softer, so he often ends up caked in mud. He takes a break during the hot summer months and during the holiday season. The work, in the end, is worth it when O’Brien hears frogs and birds in the distance.
+ Bernie O’Brien
Via Seattle Times, Treehugger
Photos courtesy Bernie O’Brien
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Bernie O’Brien is an art consultant during the week, but wears a completely different hat on weekends. For five years, the West Seattle resident has rescued unwanted trees from all over the Seattle area, digging them up with a shovel and pickaxe and a
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O’Brien’s passion as a tree rescuer started five years ago. A neighbor near his Key Peninsula property in Washington state removed scores of old-growth trees. A weekend passion was born.
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His one-man tree adoption campaign involves scouting for trees targeted for bulldozers or chainsaws. He then brings them back to his property where they wait for transplanting.
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Pictured here is a Japanese maple. O’Brien’s spread at one time had been full of holly trees but eventually had become pastureland.
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O’Brien scours Craigslist for unwanted trees and then after digging them, hauls them back to his West Seattle property. He has rescued about 500 trees so far.
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His neighbor’s tree removal five years ago not only cut back on his privacy, but he noticed that the owls and other birds who had made the trees their home could no longer be heard.
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Here is one Japanese maple O’Brien had rescued, shown shortly after he transplanted it. His tree rescue operations sometimes worry his wife, who worried at first he would get a heart attack.
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Not only are the colors on O’Brien’s property stunning, but he can often hear frogs and birds in the distance where before there had only been silence.
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Shoveling, cutting and yanking the trees out of their old homes is often difficult for O’Brien. One-fifth of the rescued trees do not make it.
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O’Brien takes a break during the hot summer months and during the holiday season. His persistence means his work can extend into the night.
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