012: I really hope you’ve been outside lately. It’s been perfect. These are some of the best days of the year. A light jacket in the morning, and maybe a light sweat in the afternoon if you’re standing in the sun. Let’s pretend winter doesn’t exist for a second. I think that we tell the world Seattle rains all of the time, just so nobody comes and takes it away from us.

I took a walk along Lake Washington Blvd early in the week. I posted a short video about it. It might be the most beautiful street in the city. Right now, walking along the waterline, the cherry blossom trees are popping. There are so many of them too. UW campus gets all of the love. But down by Genesee Park is just as good. They started closing the road off to cars over the summer in 2020. I’m hoping they continue that trend.

Speaking of trees, that is the inspiration for today’s guest. This week is NOT a food person. He’s an arborist. He’s Seattle’s Tree Guy. His Tiktok commenters think he sounds like Peyton Manning. I think he’s a Seattleite You Should Know.

— Conner Cayson

Brian Holers
^{Certified Arborist, Root Cause Seattle}

Touching Trees with Seattle’s Tree Guy

When I initially meet with business owners to provide content services, I’m looking for one specific trait, passion. I met Brian Holers in 2018 when I got brought into a marketing meeting with him. He was looking for marketing help for his business Root Cause Seattle. I have been working with him ever since.  

If we are going to be making videos every month (back then it was still only photos) I need to make sure the person is actually an expert. That they can talk about their work and knowledge forever. Brian has no problem talking about trees. I wanted to say that he likes trees more than people, but that is not true. He also loves talking with people. He loves telling stories. Along with running his arborist business in Seattle, he is also an author and has published two novels. 

Brian feels a deep connection to trees. Everywhere he goes, he touches them. It’s a habit I have adopted from him. Trees are living creatures who watch the world change. At the end of the day, we go home to our beds. But that tree in the city stays. It watches every car drive by, every person and pet walk under its branches.

When you think about some of the city’s oldest trees, like the ones in Seward or Discovery Park, it's incredible how much life they have seen. They were here when Seattle wasn’t a city. When natives used the land for hunting and gathering. Those trees have seen the city sprout and grow. From a hardened logging town (trees didn’t like that), with a famous bordello (shout out to episode 010), through the grunge era, and now in our tech phase. Many of those trees will outlive us. 

Brian encourages us to touch trees. Especially when you see them and say wow, and feel at peace or inspired. It creates a connection to the world that is hard to find in our built environments. 

What does Root Cause do?

Brian Holers grew up in Louisiana, but has lived in Seattle for over 30 years. He was fascinated by trees growing up. He has been a Certified Arborist since 1997. He’s been working professionally with trees since 1987.  His company is called Root Cause Seattle (RC). RC provides mostly underground tree services. He has found a unique niche as an arborist, focusing on tree roots and the damage roots cause to homes, and sidewalks. I’ve filmed him all around the city, excavating tree roots and providing feedback to the city and homeowners on how tree roots are impacting their sites. He still occasionally does above ground work, like tree pruning, transplants and removals. If you have questions about trees around your home or business, he’s a good person to know.

Trees that Grow Well Cause Problems

Brian says this a lot. Trees never stop growing, and neither do their roots. When they stop growing they start dying. Their roots are the same. They fill the void spaces underground. Break through pipes and push concrete around. Our city is full of broken sidewalks that have been pushed up into miniature ramps. When this happens, the city calls Brian. 

What is Porous Pave?

If you’ve walked around Downtown Seattle in the last few years, you’ve certainly walked across Root Cause’s work. They install porous pavement around trees. Porous Pave is a permeable surface made of rubber, rock, and glue. It’s designed to be a protective layer on top of tree roots, just like the concrete sidewalk. However, the material is porous, meaning it easily allows water to sink through and reach the ground and roots. The picture below shows what it looks like. Now that you’ve seen it, I’m sure you’ll notice it around many trees in Downtown Seattle.

Lessons From An Arborist

Brian has 3 rules as an arborist:

1. Always look for hazards. Working with trees can be very dangerous. They attract electrical currents, and when branches break, they are heavy. Which leads to rule number 2.

2. Gravity always works. This is both an advantage and disadvantage. Trees are heavy and they fall. You can use gravity to your advantage, especially when you plan. I have seen Brian bring down some dead trees with stunning precision, having the 50 foot trunks land exactly where he needs them to. 

3. Do no harm. His job is to protect and save trees. His internet videos sometimes garner negative attention when removing trees. Removal is always his last resort. Even after removing a tree, often he makes plans for the wood to be used elsewhere.

Brian Holers 5 Favorite Seattle Trees

1. There’s a mature Japanese Maple in Kubota Garden in South Seattle. It has large, twisted trunk and branches. Stunning autumnal color display feels out of a fantasy movie.

2. The Yoshino Cherry trees on the University of Washington Quad. Their spring flowers are a magnificent sight to see, adn the same variety grows on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

3. The Coast Redwood on the SW corner of Franklin High School stands in the open as a massive, stout, adn venerable landmark.

4. The Giant Sequoia at 6531 40th Ave SW in West Seattle is one of the largest growing sequioias on private property in Seattle. It’s recognized as a local landmark heritage tree. Trunk diameter of 110 inches.

5. The Bigleaf Maple at 1707 NW 62nd St near Ballard Corners Park. A towering beauty with a trunk diameter of nearly 100 inches. Another Seattle heritage tree.