David All · UA '97
I grew up in Upper Arlington — starting on Chester, moving to Henthorn for middle and high school, and finally Ashmore. I traded in the lacrosse stick for the pole saw, but the footwork's the same. My roots here go back generations: my grandparents, the Seegers, raised my father and aunt on Wesleyan and were founding members of UA Lutheran Church.
I returned to Upper Arlington after my father passed away. Walking past Jones and Barrington, I was moved by the ancient Oaks — the living vision of the stewards who built this neighborhood. My career had taken me all over the world. My roots stayed here.
I spent my youth under one of the tallest oak canopies in the city. In middle school, I wrote a poem called 'Tree Heaven' that was published in the UA News. My parents planted trees everywhere we lived in UA; today, those trees are thriving.
What I brought back wasn't just a business plan — it was a practitioner's path. From old-growth forests on the Olympic Peninsula to heritage apple orchards in Pennsylvania, I learned that a tree is a patient, not a project. Antiseptic tools, clean angles, and the nightly walk to see what has changed.
Upper Arlington Tree Co. is an honest way to make a living. I work the streets I grew up on, using a few razor-sharp tools from my grandfather's collection to care for what's been here longer than any of us.
I make my living keeping your trees alive, not cutting them down. Sometimes a big tree genuinely has to go — and when a job truly needs a full crew, I send you to people I trust. A handshake that's been good in this neighborhood for four generations, never a kickback.
Forty years apart
One Soul, Many Trees.
Read the poems →