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Documenting the Giants

Forest scientist and Oregon State University alumnus Steve Sillett studies and climbs the largest trees in the world.

PERMITTED USE: This image may be downloaded or is otherwise provided at no charge for one-time use for coverage or promotion of National Geographic magazine dated December 2012 and exclusively in conjunction thereof.  No copying, distribution or archiving permitted.  Sublicensing, sale or resale is prohibited. REQUIRED CREDIT AND CAPTION: All image uses must bear the copyright notice and be properly credited to the relevant photographer, as shown in this metadata, and must be accompanied by a caption, which makes reference to NGM.  Any uses in which the image appears without proper copyright notice, photographer credit and a caption referencing NGM are subject to paid licensing. You MUST follow these requirements if using the images: 1. Include mandatory photo credit with each image © Michael Nichols/National Geographic 2. Show the December cover of National Geographic somewhere in the post (credit: National Geographic) 3. Provide a prominent link to: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2012/12/sequoias/nichols-photography 4. Mention that the images are "from the December issue of National Geographic magazine.” The living crown (this one atop the General Sherman, at center) was once a distant mystery. Scientist Steve Sillett’s new arboreal studies have yielded revelations, including this: These old trees are still growing fast.

Forest scientist and Oregon State University alumnus Steve Sillett studies and climbs the largest trees in the world. Since 1987, he’s climbed more than 1,000 of these arboreal giants, many of which reach heights greater than 200 feet tall and diameters upwards of 20 feet. Sillett’s study of old-growth forests — and in particular redwood canopies — has changed the way scientists view aged trees.

Sillett holds the Kenneth L. Fisher Chair in Redwood Forest Ecology at Humboldt State University in Arcata, Calif. His research has been featured in National Geographic six times since 1997. He last appeared in the December 2012 issue, in which he discusses climbing the world’s second-largest tree in the Sierra Nevada. Recently, Sillett answered some of our questions about his research and what it’s like to climb into trees more than 3,000 years old.

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