Dr. Olaf Ribeiro

Dr. Olaf Ribeiro is the grandson of our founder, Dr Rosendo Ribeiro. Olaf, a plant pathologist has has over 30 years experience in diagnosing plant health problems both, in the U.S and overseas. He is nationally and internationally recognized for saving historic and ancient trees by improving their health.

He is the former owner of Ribeiro Plant Lab, Inc. an Agr/Horticultural/ Arboricultural Consulting & Plant Disease Diagnostic Company based on Bainbridge Island, WA, owner of Ribeiro Tree Evaluations, Inc. and now owner of Ribeiro Consultants.

Olaf was honored with the 2014 Environmentalist Award by the Association of Bainbridge Communities.

Olaf is the author and co-author of two plant pathology textbooks that are presently used in more than 80 countries. He has been involved in improving the health of mature trees throughout the U.S. and overseas since 1985. Olaf has published over 50 scientific papers in refereed international journals and has also published several popular articles on plant diseases.

He has been an invited speaker at several National & International meetings and conferences and has presented seminars and workshops to arborists on tree health in the US and in the UK.

He has helped renovate the Juanita Woodlands in Kirkland, and with the help of volunteers planted 3,000 trees in the woodlands toward a goal of planting 10,000 trees.

Over the past few years he has distributed more than 2,000 trees to Bainbridge Islanders and helped volunteers plant 500 trees in local communities

His work saving trees has earned widespread praise, and has been acknowledged on the NBC Today Show, in the Wall Street Journal and on Seattle’s Channel 5 Evening Magazine.

Ribeiro's awards include Honorary Citizenship in 1972 by the Mayor of Morgantown, West Virginia; certificate for outstanding volunteerism by Washington Governor Booth Gardner in 1988; an education award by the International Society of Arboriculture; and an award by the Consul General of Japan for saving cherry trees.

He is also featured in the book “In Praise of Island Stewards,” by Joel Sackett and is presently the president of the Murden Cove Preservation Association.

In December 2014 a tree was planted in his honor in Mombasa, Kenya.

A selection of articles on Olaf:

God Can Make a Tree, But Olaf Ribeiro Can Save Its Life (Wall Street Journal 2006)

Arborist Olaf Ribeiro Savors His Apparent Victory (Kitsap Sun 2006)

Fame comes calling for tree advocate Ribeiro (Bainbridge Island Review (2007))

Reviving The Ancients (Seattle Times 2007)

Bainbridge Island Tree Whisperer (Western Washington NBC Channel K5)

Dr. Olaf Ribeiro - The Ultimate Tree Hugger (GOANET 2011)

Top Tree Scientist Professor Ribeiro Visiting Coast (CoastWeek 2014)

Books:

Phytophthora Diseases Worldwide by Donald C. Erwin and Olaf K. Ribeiro Google Book Reference

A Source Book of the Genus Phytophthora by Olaf K Ribeiro Google Book Reference

Featured in books:

The New Low-maintenance Garden: How to Have a Beautiful, Productive Garden ...( By Valerie Easton)

Backyard Giants: The Passionate, Heartbreaking, and Glorious Quest to Grow ...( By Susan Warren)