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Redwood Research & Rapture
REDWOOD TREES ARE HUMBOLDT’S icons. The world’s
tallest trees are everything from economic fuel to political
symbols, spiritual touchstones and, for HSU Professor Steve
Sillett, subjects of scientific study.
Stretching from Big Sur to southern Oregon, coast redwoods
have been marketed, measured, photographed and
argued about for decades. But there’s still a lot to learn about
Sequoia Sempervirens.
Sillett, who holds HSU’s Kenneth L. Fisher Chair in Redwood
Forest Ecology, was featured in a National Geographic
cover story last October with his fresh scientific insights into
redwood crowns. His visits into the elusive canopy revealed
treetops bustling with critters and plants.
Sillett has measured the world’s tallest redwood at 379.1
feet, and the oldest tree appears to be 1,850 years old. Now,
he is set to launch new studies on the volume of redwood
trees and how climate change may be affecting them.
For many, the sense of timelessness and spiritual solace
that redwoods offer is enough. Those wishing for a taste
of redwood magic can visit the same parks in which Sillett
works – Redwood National Park, Humboldt Redwoods State
Park and even the Arcata Community Forest right next door
to Humboldt State.
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