I am Casey Clapp, the tree guy from Ologies , Completely Arbortrary , and the rest of the internet. I wrote a tree identification book called The Trees Around You in 2024, and now I'm going out on the road to embark on my most ambitious project so far: I'm going to find every species of conifer in the US.
All in one year.
The plan is simple:
- Pack up my worldly possessions (read: books) into the back of my truck (a 2011 Toyota Tacoma)
- Go find every conifer in the United States—all 111 species—where they grow natively
- Do this in one year
- Take you with me every step of the way
- Write my next book (!)
Executing the plan will be the hard part, and that's why I need your help.
As anyone who has listened to Completely Arbortrary or read The Trees Around You could tell you, I love conifers. So, borne out of a desire to go see these trees and explore their environments, I hatched a scheme to document them and turn that into a photographic survey of each species. In other words, I'm building a photography book focused exclusively on North American conifers, leaving no species behind.
And (because I just can't help myself) I wouldn't be surprised if a second identification guide for American conifers hit the shelves when all is said and done....
Now, as far as I can tell, nothing like this has been done before on a national scale—certainly not in a single year and not in the Age of the Internet, either, which opens up a unique opportunity: I'll be sharing this journey with all of you, every step of the way.
- I'll be writing, filming, and editing a video series covering each species—where they live, how they live, and the journey I took to get there
- I'll be writing articles and essays on each species and the whole project, sharing with you my successes and my trials, but also stories of the forests, mountains, and deserts where they live
- I'll be taking what will surely be thousands of photos to share and collecting the best of them into a book showcasing the unique qualities of these trees—their bark, their cones, their most charismatic individuals—to be edited and released after my year on the road
- I'll be writing, filming, and editing a full-length documentary about my trip and the unique trees, people, and places I come across
I'll also be working on a few other side-projects while I'm out there, and a few of those will be released exclusively to my supporters—maybe an extra book on broadleaf trees? Maybe a manifesto on the socialist agenda of trees? Who knows....
Why?
Counted among their numbers are the tallest , largest , and oldest trees in the world, and several are considered the rarest of their type or are threated or endangered in their native habitats. My aim is to not only to connect with these trees myself, but extend that connection to all of you, as well. Just like on Completely Arbortrary, I want to showcase not only their beauty and nuance but also tell their complex stories and bring awareness to their struggles and hardships.
This will be a lot of work
There's no way around it: if I want to succeed in this project, I'll need your help. I'll be doing this all on my own, from researching and writing to scouting, filming, and editing. Aside from backers like you, I'll be entirely self-supported on the road for a whole year. Here are a few of the costs I'll need to take on:
- The Truck: I'll be outfitting it as home, office, transport, and refuge: though I'll be doing much of the work myself, like the carpentry and sewing, I'll need to buy plenty of parts and gear to make it livable, like a roof rack, rain awning, electrical storage, etc.
- The Gear: This won't be some camera phone malarky, so I need to up my camera game and invest in lenses, lighting, and general photography gear to not only take the best shots, but hike it all out there too: rain-proof bags, umbrellas, tripods, microphones, etc.
- The Tech: The internet is an important aspect of this project, so I'll need the gear to stay connected, safe, and backed up like mapping software, editing software, connectivity hardware, and online storage
- Life: There's no free lunch, and there's certainly no free gasoline, and this is where help will be felt most intensely: this will be my full focus for a year, which means I'll need help covering costs ranging from food and gas to entrance fees, maintenance, and probably an Airbnb every now and then to shower
Your support here will be the most impactful because it'll help cover my start-up costs and if we hit the fully-funded goal, the whole trip!
That won't go unseen.
I am beyond excited for this new adventure, and I am beyond excited to connect with each of you as this whole thing gets started. Over the first few months of 2026 I'll be finalizing my preparations and dialing in the last details. I'll be sharing some early design ideas with you to get the stoke level rising, so tell your friends, share this around, and let me know what you think.
All my love to you all,
Casey
Organizer
