For the next several years, Lars spent time traveling to old-growth groves in California and Oregon, sitting in platforms and occupying the ancient giants to prevent their destruction. “Being up in an old-growth tree that’s been there for thousands of years; cradled in its arms,” he says. “It's a real special thing.” Eventually his knowledge of trees and climbing transitioned into work: creating snags and habitats for wildlife and restoring second-growth forests. “I totally fell in love with western forests,” he says. “I realized I could turn it into somewhat of a career. It was seasonal work mostly, so it worked well with my lifestyle — I could spend a few months making a bunch of money, then I could spend a few months traveling and exploring and living in wild places where there might not have been very much work otherwise.”

Once “fanatically anti-car” (catching rides, riding bikes and hopping freight trains were his go-tos), Lars eventually bought a truck, plonked in a diesel engine and started making his own biodiesel to get where he wanted to go on his own steam. “I converted my truck to vegetable oil at least 15 years ago,” he says. “It's been running strong ever since. And if something breaks, I fix it. I know that truck inside and out at this point.”

Lars makes a point to practice self-sufficiency in all aspects of his life. “There's a real deep satisfaction in even just simple tasks that you do on your own without having to pay someone or rely on someone else to do something ….” he says. “[Once] you realize everything is just nuts and bolts, then it's a real joyful experience to fix something on your own, build something on your own.”

These days, Lars is based in Portland, Oregon, and continues to preserve the strength and vitality of trees. “An arborist’s role is to do as much as they can to promote the health of trees, and also the safety of people around them,” he explains. “In Europe, arborists are called ‘tree surgeons.’ [We’re] all about being stewards and doctors for trees.”

His choice to live in the Pacific Northwest has as much to do with its access to trees as it does with his passion for exploration. “It's a really unique part of the world,” he says. “My main draw to the Northwest is the diversity of landscapes: you’ve got mountains and coastal rainforests; eastern deserts and dry forests on the eastside of the Cascades; you've got alpine, you've got ocean. Just incredibly gorgeous views everywhere you go.”

As Lars continues to pursue his life’s passions — working as a steward of his environment and venturing to wild places — it all comes back to the trees. “Trees have a lot of lessons to teach us about staying calm through the storm: tranquility and perseverance and resilience,” he says. “Think about all they've been through for thousands of years, and they're still there — they're still pushing through.”