Who We Are
We love big trees—and the planet.
PropagationNation is fueled by a passion for trees and a commitment to simple actions that will help heal the planet.
PropagationNation was founded by three Boeing retirees in 2019. Since then, we’ve facilitated the planting of thousands of coast redwood and giant sequoia saplings in more than 70 communities across 10 different Washington counties.
But we’re ready to do more—much more.
PropagationNation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Our directors are unpaid.
Every dollar raised goes to furthering our mission.
Founders and members
Philip Stielstra
Philip fell in love with trees as a child—he would climb the lilac trees that lined his family’s property, moving from one to the next without touching the ground, feeling as if he was above the world.
His appreciation only grew as he moved into adulthood. While living and working in one of Oregon’s national forests, he marveled at the seedlings that would sprout and grow quickly in the middle of acreage that had been clear-cut. After moving back to his home state, he started a business using oak to stop erosion on the shores of Lake Michigan. And while preparing to retire in Seattle following 15 years at Boeing, Philip became a Seattle Tree Ambassador—providing community education, leading Tree Walks, and more.
This lifelong relationship with trees—and a connection with David Milarch of the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive, a Michigan nonprofit that is cloning the largest, oldest trees on the planet—served as the genesis for PropagationNation.
“I’m smitten by these trees,” Philip says. “They just won’t let go of me.”
Bob Bashor
Bob knows what the rest of us know --- that our planet is troubled by warming that results from the burning of fossil fuels. Many species of plants are very troubled. Indeed, many large native-to-the-northwest trees that collect and recycle the carbon resulting from fossil fuel use are increasingly troubled. Research has informed Bob that Coast Redwoods and Giant Sequoias are champions of collecting and recycling carbon and do already prosper in our northwest forests.
Bob’s work for forty years in Boeing and in private practice has been organization development ---- activities based on valid information, free and informed choice, and methods that build internal commitment to planned change.
The work of PropagationNation calls on this experience.
Fred Korn
Fred was 12 when he first encountered giant sequoias, which were hard for him to even comprehend: “They were like majestic life forms seemingly from another realm,” he says.
While Fred grew up to become an analytic philosopher and a business consultant, those sequoias (and their coastal redwood cousins) remained magical to him. Perhaps the most magical thing is something we can’t even see—they are the best in the world at removing carbon from the atmosphere, and by extension, fighting the increase in global temperatures that threatens the planet.
Fred co-founded PropagationNation because he understands that while the magic of these trees might be invisible to the eye, what they do is quite tangible when it comes to climate change. And to play an even bigger role in forests across the Northwest, they need our help.
Key Partners
We are partnering with—or seeking to partner with—the following organizations and individuals:
- Archangel Ancient Tree Archive
- The Jonsteen Company
- Network for Good
- PRT Growing Services Ltd.
- Native American tribes and leaders
- Land trusts and conservation districts
- Individuals and foundations
- Forestry scientists and researchers
- Government leaders at every level – state, county and local
- Northwest landowners, both private and government
- Natural Resources departments and private nurseries
- School children, young adults, individuals like YOU – an army of volunteers, donors, tree-planters, all people committed to taking action in their own way against climate change to protect their futures
