Michael W. Taylor | Tall Trees Club
A man of countless forest expeditions, and discoverer tall trees
Update by Mario D. Vaden
Photo copyrights 2008 & 2011 by Mario Vaden
Michael W. Taylor (born April 25, 1966, in Los Angeles) is a leading discoverer of champion and tallest trees - most notably Coast Redwoods. In 2006, Michael co-discovered the tallest known tree in the world, a coast redwood (sequoia) 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 at least 50 coast redwoods over 350 feet tall, and co-discovered approximately 100 more over 350 feet with Chris Atkins and Prof. Stephen Sillett, 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 fueled research and public interest in coast redwoods, which are now a World Heritage Site.
In the photograph to the right, Michael is using doing a preliminary measurement in the Lost Man Creek section of Redwood National Park: the same general area where we found Dog Soldier, and in a broader proximity to Hyperion, the tallest known coast redwood, found 2006.
Michael is a main character of the non-fiction book (2007) The Wild Trees. The narrative includes how Taylor began exploring for tall trees, measuring them, 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
Taylor attended Humboldt State University from 1984-87 studying forestry, attended San Diego State University in 1988. He returned to Humboldt State University 1992-94, completing a bachelor of science in environmental engineering.
His discoveries are too numerous to list here. His site is: www.landmarktrees.net
The photo below shows Michael Taylor by the the tallest known live top pine in the world (as found January 3, 2011) in Oregon, south of the Rogue River.
