Michael W. Taylor (born 25 April 1966, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

) is a leading discoverer of champion and tallest trees - most notably coast

redwoods Sequoioideae, popularly known as redwoods, is a subfamily of coniferous trees within the family Cupressaceae. It includes the largest and tallest trees in the world. Description The three redwood subfamily genera are '' Sequoia'' from co ...

. 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. The discovery made headlines. Taylor has discovered 50 coast redwoods over tall, and co-discovered approximately 100 more with Chris Atkins and

Stephen Sillett Stephen C. Sillett (born March 19, 1968) 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. Sil ...

, who is the first holder of the Kenneth L. Fisher Chair in Redwood Forest Ecology at Humboldt State University. 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 A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

. Michael is a main character of the non-fiction book (2007) ''

The Wild Trees ''The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring'' is a non-fiction book by Richard Preston about California's coastal redwoods (''Sequoia sempervirens'') and the recreational climbers who climbed them. It is a narrative-style collection of stor ...

''. 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 Lost Monarch is a coast redwood (''Sequoia sempervirens'') tree in Northern California that is in diameter at breast height (with multiple stems included), and in height. It is the world's fifth largest coast redwood in terms of wood volume ( ...

in the

Grove of Titans The Grove of Titans is a redwood grove in Del Norte County, California, Del Norte County, Northern California, with several massive Sequoia sempervirens, coast redwood (''Sequoia sempervirens'') trees, some of the largest known redwoods in terms of ...

, as well as Iluvatar in

Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park is a state park, located in Humboldt County, California, near the town of Orick and 50 miles (80 km) north of Eureka. The 14,000 acre (57 km²) park is a coastal sanctuary for old-growth Coast Redw ...

Tallest tree discoveries

Redwoods: Helios and Icarus were discovered in 2006, shortly before Hyperion. Hyperion was the record height coast redwood that prompted

National Geographic Society The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational organizations in the world. Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, and ...

and Save-the-Redwoods League to coordinate a documentary. These are just 3 of many coast redwoods over feet which Michael Taylor discovered. The details are chronicled at www.talltreesclub.org Pines: Discovery of 4 new world's tallest pine trees, January, 2011.KGW News, World's Tallest Pine, January 23, 2011

Largest coast redwood discoveries

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 The California Department of Parks and Recreation, more commonly known as California State Parks, manages the California state parks system. The system administers 279 separate park units on 1.4 million acres (570,000 hectares), with over 280 ...

to the general public. For more information se
www.landmarktrees.net

Education

Taylor attended

Humboldt State University California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt also known as Cal Poly Humboldt, Humboldt or Cal Poly"Cal Poly" may also refer to California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California or California State Polytechnic Universi ...

from 1984 to 1987 studying forestry, attended

San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

in 1988, returned to Humboldt State University 1992-94 completing a Bachelor of Science in environmental engineering.

Location

Michael Taylor resides in northern California.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Michael 1966 births Living people American foresters