Michael Taylor | |
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![]() Michael Taylor in Redwood National Park taking a preliminary measurement with a laser rangefinder | |
Born | Michael W. Taylor 25 April 1966 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Occupation | Forester |
Known for | Discovery of Hyperion (tree), the tallest tree in the world; discovery of various other notable redwoods |
Michael W. Taylor (born 25 April 1966) is an American forester who is notable for being a leading discoverer of champion and tallest trees - most notably coast redwoods. In 2006, Taylor co-discovered the tallest known tree in the world, a coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) now named "Hyperion". He also discovered "Helios" and "Icarus", the 2nd and 3rd tallest.
National Geographic made a video about the discovery and measuring of Hyperion. [1] The discovery made headlines. [2] [3] [4]
Taylor has discovered 50 coast redwoods over 350 feet (107 m) tall, and co-discovered approximately 100 more with Chris Atkins and Stephen Sillett, who is the first holder of the Kenneth L. Fisher Chair in Redwood Forest Ecology at Humboldt State University. [5] Taylor and Sillett have collaborated and measured remarkable previously unknown redwoods. Their discoveries have fueled research and public interest in coast redwoods, which are now a World Heritage Site.
Michael is a main character of the non-fiction book (2007) The Wild Trees . [6] The narrative includes how Taylor began exploring for tall trees, measuring tallest trees, and later networking with Pacific coast forest researchers.
Taylor co-discovered the largest known coast redwood named Lost Monarch in the Grove of Titans, as well as Iluvatar in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.
Redwoods: Helios and Icarus were discovered in 2006, shortly before Hyperion. Hyperion was the record height coast redwood that prompted National Geographic Society and Save-the-Redwoods League to coordinate a documentary. These are just 3 of many coast redwoods over 350 feet (107 m) feet which Michael Taylor discovered. The details are chronicled at www.talltreesclub.org[ dead link ]
Tree Name | Height | |
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m | ft | |
Hyperion | 115.61 | 379.3 |
Helios | 114.58 | 375.9 |
Icarus | 113.14 | 371.2 |
Pines: Discovery of 4 new world's tallest pine trees, January, 2011. [8]
Taylor discovered and co-discovered the largest known coast redwoods. The locations of these trees have not been disclosed by the National and California State Parks to the general public. For more information see www.landmarktrees.net
Tree Name | Location | Height | Diameter (b.h) | Volume | Source | |||
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m | ft | m | ft | m3 | ft3 | |||
Lost Monarch | JSRSP | 97.5 | 320 | 7.9 | 26 | 1203.46 | 42,500 | [9] |
Fusion Giant, aka Melkor | RNP | 106.3 | 349 | 6.8 | 22 | 1107.2 | 39,100 | [10] |
Iluvatar | PCRSP | 91.43 | 300.0 | 6.25 | 20.5 | 1061.88 | 37,500 | [9] |
Del Norte Titan | JSRSP | 93.6 | 307 | 7.3 | 24 | 1053.38 | 37,200 | [9] |
El Viejo Del Norte | JSRSP | 98.7 | 324 | 7.1 | 23 | 1002.41 | 35,400 | [9] |
Howland Hill Giant | JSRSP | 100.6 | 330 | 5.85 | 19.2 | 950.9 | 33,580 | [11] |
Taylor attended Humboldt State University from 1984 to 1987 studying forestry, attended San Diego State University in 1988, returned to Humboldt State University 1992-94 completing a Bachelor of Science in environmental engineering.
Michael Taylor resides in northern California.
General Sherman is a giant sequoia tree located at an elevation of 2,109 m (6,919 ft) above sea level in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park in Tulare County, in the U.S. state of California. By volume, it is the largest known living single-stem tree on Earth.
Humboldt Redwoods State Park is a state park of California, United States, containing Rockefeller Forest, the world's largest remaining contiguous old-growth forest of coast redwoods. It is located 30 miles (48 km) south of Eureka, California, near Weott in southern Humboldt County, within Northern California, named after the great German nineteenth-century scientist, Alexander von Humboldt. The park was established by the Save the Redwoods League in 1921 largely from lands purchased from the Pacific Lumber Company. Beginning with the dedication of the Raynal Bolling Memorial Grove, it has grown to become the third-largest park in the California State Park system, now containing 51,651 acres (20,902 ha) through acquisitions and gifts to the state.
The Stratosphere Giant was once considered the tallest tree in the world. It was discovered in July 2000 growing along Bull Creek in Humboldt Redwoods State Park by Chris Atkins, measuring 112.34 meters (368.6 ft) tall. The discovery was confirmed and made public in 2004, displacing the Mendocino Tree, another coast redwood, from the record books. The tree has continued to grow and measured 113.11 m (371.1 ft) in 2010 and 113.61 m (372.7 ft) in 2013. It is a specimen of the species Sequoia sempervirens, the Coast Redwood. The tree features three prominent burls on the southwestern side of its trunk and is surrounded by a large number of trees of almost equal size. In an effort to avoid damage to the tree's shallow roots by tourism, its exact location was never disclosed to the public.
Save the Redwoods League is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect and restore coast redwood and giant sequoia trees through the preemptive purchase of development rights of notable areas with such forests.
Hyperion is a coast redwood in California that is the world's tallest known living tree, measuring 115.92 m (380.3 ft).
Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve is a 1,323-acre state-owned park located in the Coastal Range in Mendocino County, California, United States. The Reserve occupies the headwaters of Montgomery Creek, a tributary of Big River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean at Mendocino Headlands State Park. The virgin groves of Coast Redwood in Montgomery Woods are examples of a now rare upland riparian meadow habitat; most other preserved redwood groves are on broad alluvial plains. The Reserve is accessed from a parking area along Orr Springs Road 13 miles (21 km) west of Ukiah and 15 miles (24 km) east of Comptche. A moderately steep trail from the parking area climbs uphill along Montgomery Creek about three-quarters of a mile. Once in the grove, the trail makes a meandering three miles (4.8 km) loop, with substantial use of boardwalks to protect the fragile forest floor. The reserve was initiated by a 9-acre donation from Robert T. Orr in 1945, with 765 acres donated since 1947 by the Save the Redwoods League.
Stephen C. Sillett is an American botanist specializing in old growth forest canopies. As the first scientist to enter the redwood forest canopy, he pioneered new methods for climbing, exploring, and studying tall trees. Sillett has climbed many of the world's tallest trees to study the plant and animal life residing in their crowns and is generally recognized as an authority on tall trees, especially redwoods.
Lost Monarch is a coast redwood tree in Northern California that is 26 feet (7.9 m) in diameter at breast height, and 320 feet (98 m) in height. It is the world's fifth largest coast redwood in terms of wood volume.
The Grove of Titans is a redwood grove in Del Norte County, Northern California, with several massive coast redwood trees, some of the largest known redwoods in terms of wood volume. The largest coastal redwood tree in the grove by volume is the single-stem Del Norte Titan. The Lost Monarch is comparably large, but a large sprout from the ground at its base is not part of the main trunk structure.
Iluvatar is a redwood tree in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park in Northern California that has been confirmed to be at least 20.5 feet (6.2 m) in diameter at breast height, and 320 feet (98 m) in height. Measured by botanist Stephen C. Sillett, it is the world's third-largest coast redwood, the largest being Lost Monarch.
Del Norte Titan is a coast redwood tree in Del Norte County, Northern California, that was confirmed by measuring to be at least 23.7 feet (7.2 m) in diameter at breast height, and 307 feet (94 m) tall. Measured by botanist Stephen Sillett, it ranks as the world's fifth largest coast redwood. One source recognizes it as the largest based on a single-stem measurement. But the source's recognition pre-dates a 2014 discovery in the redwood parks that is larger. Lost Monarch in the same park, is actually larger with more wood volume than Del Norte Titan, if basal stems are included. The fourth largest coastal redwood is in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park called Iluvatar.
Atlas Grove is a grove of Coast redwood trees within Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, in Humboldt County, northern California. It contains the third largest known Coast redwood, Iluvatar.
The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring is a non-fiction book by Richard Preston about California's coastal redwoods and the recreational climbers who climbed them. It is a narrative-style collection of stories from climbers who pioneered redwood climbing, including botanist Steve Sillett, lichenologist Marie Antoine, and Michael Taylor. They inadvertently discovered a thriving ecosystem hidden among the tree tops, 60–90 meters (200–300 ft) above, of redwood lattices, berry bushes, bonsai trees, epiphytes, lichens, voles, and salamanders.
Sequoia sempervirens is the sole living species of the genus Sequoia in the cypress family Cupressaceae. Common names include coast redwood, coastal redwood and California redwood. It is an evergreen, long-lived, monoecious tree living 1,200–2,200 years or more. This species includes the tallest living trees on Earth, reaching up to 115.9 m (380.1 ft) in height and up to 8.9 m (29 ft) in diameter at breast height. These trees are also among the longest-living trees on Earth. Before commercial logging and clearing began by the 1850s, this massive tree occurred naturally in an estimated 810,000 ha along much of coastal California and the southwestern corner of coastal Oregon within the United States.
The Lindsey Creek Tree was a notably large coast redwood that grew in Fieldbrook, California, along the Lindsey Creek, which feeds into the Mad River. It was once thought to be the largest single-stem organism (tree) known to have existed historically due to erroneous article published in the Humboldt Times. In 2024, a second article was discovered that offered more accurate measurements of the tree. Although the tree was not as large as it was fabled to be, it would still likely rank within the top 5 largest coast redwoods alive today.
Redwoods of the Otway Ranges is a small sheltered grove of Coast Redwoods, Sequoia sempervirens, about 5 kilometres (3 mi) south of Beech Forest in the Otway Ranges in southwestern Victoria, Australia.
The Mendocino Tree is a coast redwood located in Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve in Mendocino County, California.