Stephen C. Sillett
Encyclopedia
Stephen C. Sillett is a 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 (Sequoia sempervirens). He is the first Kenneth L. Fisher Chair in Redwood Forest Ecology
for the Department of Biological Sciences at Humboldt State University
. He is featured in Richard Preston
's New York Times best seller The Wild Trees
, as well as in academic journals, general interest magazines, and nature television programs. He lives in Arcata, California
, with wife Marie Antoine, a botanist and fellow forest canopy research scientist.
. He has a younger sister, Liana, and an older brother, Scott, who is also featured in The Wild Trees. Both Sillett brothers were inspired to pursue careers in science by their grandmother, Helen Poe Sillett, who was a bird enthusiast.
His wife, Marie E. Antoine, a fellow botanist, lectures at Humboldt State University and assists Sillett in his field research. They were married on December 8, 2001.
as an undergraduate to pursue his interest in botany, later refocusing on tall trees and Lobaria
, a type of nitrogen-fixing lichen
associated with old-growth forests, in the Pacific Northwest
. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Reed College
in Portland, Oregon
, in 1989 at the age of 21. He went on to receive a Master of Science
in Botany from the University of Florida
in 1991, and a Doctor of Philosophy
from Oregon State University
in 1995. He began teaching at Humboldt State University in 1996, where he dedicates much of his time to field study of not only coast redwood but also giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum), Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis), and the tallest trees of the Southern Hemisphere, Eucalyptus regnans
and E. globulus
. He currently teaches courses in General Botany, Lichens and Bryophytes, and Forest Canopy Ecology at Humboldt State University.
Douglas-fir trees during his undergraduate years at Reed College. While working on his Masters, he studied a cloud forest
canopy in Costa Rica
, focusing on bryophytes inhabiting the emergent crowns of Strangler Fig
s (Ficus tuerckheimii). His doctorate work focused on old-growth Douglas-fir forests in the Cascade Mountains of western Oregon
. It was not until he began teaching at Humboldt State that he began climbing and studying redwood forests.
found in their canopies. Additionally, Sillett studies how water is transported up the tree in an effort to understand the limits to tree height. One of his chief interests is in determining the maximum attainable heights of the 6 tallest tree species.
To reach the canopies, he uses an arrow to set a climbing line, then ascends using a modified arborist-style safety swing involving ropes, leather harnesses, and pulleys. Once in the canopy, Sillett and his research crew move about in a style known as skywalking using motion lanyard
s on a web of climbing ropes. To reach outlying branches, Sillett deploys a Tyrolean traverse
between adjacent trees.
In addition to studying redwood canopies, Sillett studies other tall forests in the US, Canada, and Australia. He has climbed and measured the tallest of each of the six tallest trees species. Sillett and his team do not disclose precise locations of the world’s tallest trees. Sillett allows only students and research team members to climb with him, to maintain both the security of the trees and the safety of fellow researchers.
, some of Sillett’s awards and acknowledgments include:
Affiliations include:
Old growth forest
An old-growth forest is a forest that has attained great age , and thereby exhibits unique ecological features. An old growth forest has also usually reached a climax community...
canopies. As the first scientist to enter the redwood forest canopy, he pioneered new methods for climbing
Tree climbing
Tree climbing is a recreational or functional activity consisting of ascending and moving around in the crown of trees.Use of a rope, helmet, and harness are the minimum requirements to ensure the safety of the climber. Other equipment can also be used depending on the experience and skill of the...
, 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 (Sequoia sempervirens). He is the first Kenneth L. Fisher Chair in Redwood Forest Ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
for the Department of Biological Sciences at Humboldt State University
Humboldt State University
Humboldt State University is the northernmost campus of the California State University system, located in Arcata within Humboldt County, California, USA. The main campus, nestled at the edge of a coast redwood forest, is situated on Preston hill overlooking Arcata and with commanding views of...
. He is featured in Richard Preston
Richard Preston
Richard Preston, born August 5, 1954 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., is a New Yorker writer and bestselling author perhaps best-known for his books about infectious disease epidemics and bioterrorism, although he has written other non-fiction works...
's New York Times best seller The Wild Trees
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 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,...
, as well as in academic journals, general interest magazines, and nature television programs. He lives in Arcata, California
Arcata, California
-Demographics:-2010 Census data:The 2010 United States Census reported that Arcata had a population of 17,231. The population density was 1,567.4 people per square mile...
, with wife Marie Antoine, a botanist and fellow forest canopy research scientist.
Early and personal life
Sillett was born March 19, 1968 in Harrisburg, PennsylvaniaHarrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
. He has a younger sister, Liana, and an older brother, Scott, who is also featured in The Wild Trees. Both Sillett brothers were inspired to pursue careers in science by their grandmother, Helen Poe Sillett, who was a bird enthusiast.
His wife, Marie E. Antoine, a fellow botanist, lectures at Humboldt State University and assists Sillett in his field research. They were married on December 8, 2001.
Education
Sillett studied biologyBiology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
as an undergraduate to pursue his interest in botany, later refocusing on tall trees and Lobaria
Lobaria
Lobaria is a genus of lichens commonly known as "lungwort" or "lung moss" as their physical shape somewhat resembles a lung. Lobaria species are unusual in that they have a three-part symbiosis, containing a fungus, an alga and a cyanobacterium, the presence of the cyanobacterium allowing nitrogen...
, a type of nitrogen-fixing lichen
Lichen
Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
associated with old-growth forests, in the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Reed College
Reed College
Reed College is a private, independent, liberal arts college located in southeast Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus located in Portland's Eastmoreland neighborhood, featuring architecture based on the Tudor-Gothic style, and a forested canyon wilderness...
in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, in 1989 at the age of 21. He went on to receive a Master of Science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
in Botany from the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in 1991, and a Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
from Oregon State University
Oregon State University
Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
in 1995. He began teaching at Humboldt State University in 1996, where he dedicates much of his time to field study of not only coast redwood but also giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum), Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis), and the tallest trees of the Southern Hemisphere, Eucalyptus regnans
Eucalyptus regnans
Eucalyptus regnans, known variously by the common names Mountain Ash, Victorian Ash, Swamp Gum, Tasmanian Oak or Stringy Gum, is a species of Eucalyptus native to southeastern Australia, in Tasmania and Victoria...
and E. globulus
Eucalyptus globulus
The Tasmanian Blue Gum, Southern Blue Gum or Blue Gum, is an evergreen tree, one of the most widely cultivated trees native to Australia. They typically grow from 30 to 55 m tall. The tallest currently known specimen in Tasmania is 90.7 m tall...
. He currently teaches courses in General Botany, Lichens and Bryophytes, and Forest Canopy Ecology at Humboldt State University.
Early research
Sillett began climbingTree climbing
Tree climbing is a recreational or functional activity consisting of ascending and moving around in the crown of trees.Use of a rope, helmet, and harness are the minimum requirements to ensure the safety of the climber. Other equipment can also be used depending on the experience and skill of the...
Douglas-fir trees during his undergraduate years at Reed College. While working on his Masters, he studied a cloud forest
Cloud forest
A cloud forest, also called a fog forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical evergreen montane moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level. Cloud forests often exhibit an abundance of mosses covering the ground and...
canopy in Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, focusing on bryophytes inhabiting the emergent crowns of Strangler Fig
Strangler Fig
Strangler fig is the common name for a number of tropical and subtropical plant species, including some banyans and unrelated vines, including among many other species:* Ficus aurea, also known as the Florida Strangler Fig...
s (Ficus tuerckheimii). His doctorate work focused on old-growth Douglas-fir forests in the Cascade Mountains of western Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. It was not until he began teaching at Humboldt State that he began climbing and studying redwood forests.
Later research
After moving to northwestern California, Sillett began studying old-growth redwood forests and the biodiversityBiodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
found in their canopies. Additionally, Sillett studies how water is transported up the tree in an effort to understand the limits to tree height. One of his chief interests is in determining the maximum attainable heights of the 6 tallest tree species.
To reach the canopies, he uses an arrow to set a climbing line, then ascends using a modified arborist-style safety swing involving ropes, leather harnesses, and pulleys. Once in the canopy, Sillett and his research crew move about in a style known as skywalking using motion lanyard
Lanyard
A lanyard is a rope or cord exclusively worn around the neck or wrist to carry something. Usually it is used where there is a risk of losing the object or to ensure it is visible at all times. Aboard a ship, it may refer to a piece of rigging used to secure objects...
s on a web of climbing ropes. To reach outlying branches, Sillett deploys a Tyrolean traverse
Tyrolean traverse
A Tyrolean traverse is a method of crossing through free space between two high points on a rope without a hanging cart or cart equivalent. This is used in a range of mountaineering activities: rock climbing, technical tree climbing, caving and water crossings. A zip-line is in essence a Tyrolean...
between adjacent trees.
In addition to studying redwood canopies, Sillett studies other tall forests in the US, Canada, and Australia. He has climbed and measured the tallest of each of the six tallest trees species. Sillett and his team do not disclose precise locations of the world’s tallest trees. Sillett allows only students and research team members to climb with him, to maintain both the security of the trees and the safety of fellow researchers.
Major accomplishments
- Discovery of the redwood Grove of TitansGrove of TitansThe Grove of Titans is a redwood grove in Del Norte County, Northern California, which includes several massive Coast Redwood trees, some being the largest known redwoods in terms of wood volume. The largest Coastal Redwood tree in the grove by volume is Lost Monarch...
in 1998, accompanied by Michael TaylorMichael Taylor (forester)Michael W. Taylor 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 now named "Hyperion"...
. - Sillett began climbing redwoods in 1987, becoming the first scientist to enter the old-growth redwood forest canopy.
- He has climbed and measured the height of the tallest known live-topped tree of each of the five tree species known to grow over 100 m (300 ft) tall.
- In 2006, Sillett measured and verified the redwood HyperionHyperion (tree)Hyperion is the name of a Coast Redwood in Northern California that was measured at , which ranks it as the world's tallest known living tree. Despite its great height, Hyperion is not the largest known coast redwood; that distinction belongs to the Lost Monarch tree.Hyperion was discovered August...
as the world’s tallest tree at 115.55 m (379.1 ft). Previous record-holder Stratosphere GiantStratosphere GiantStratosphere Giant was once considered the tallest tree in the world. It was discovered in July 2000 in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, measuring 112.34 metres tall....
is 112.83 m (370.5 ft). - Sillett is the first holder of the Kenneth L. Fisher Chair in Redwood Forest Ecology at Humboldt State University. This is the world’s first and only endowed chair supporting the study of one tree species. The endowmentFinancial endowmentA financial endowment is a transfer of money or property donated to an institution. The total value of an institution's investments is often referred to as the institution's endowment and is typically organized as a public charity, private foundation, or trust....
is designed to promote field research of redwood canopies. - Sillett, wife Marie Antoine, brother Scott, and other climbing and research companions including Michael Taylor and Chris Atkins are featured in Richard Preston’s book The Wild Trees. The book details some notable climbs, including his first ascent into the crown of a tall redwood tree.
- Sillett’s research has been published in a number of academic journals including NatureNature (journal)Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
, the American Journal of BotanyAmerican Journal of BotanyThe American Journal of Botany is a peer-reviewed scientific journal which includes research papers on all aspects of plant biology. It is published by the Botanical Society of America on a monthly basis since 1914....
, Ecological Monographs, Ecological Applications, Bryologist, Northwest Science, and Madroño. His research has also been profiled in The New YorkerThe New YorkerThe New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
(by Richard Preston), DiscoverDiscover (magazine)Discover is an American science magazine that publishes articles about science for a general audience. The monthly magazine was launched in October 1980 by Time Inc. It was sold to Family Media, the owners of Health, in 1987. Walt Disney Company bought the magazine when Family Media went out of...
, New ScientistNew ScientistNew Scientist is a weekly non-peer-reviewed English-language international science magazine, which since 1996 has also run a website, covering recent developments in science and technology for a general audience. Founded in 1956, it is published by Reed Business Information Ltd, a subsidiary of...
, and National Geographic. - Sillett has been profiled on nature television programs such as National Geographic’s Wild Chronicles, BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Planet EarthPlanet Earth (TV series)Planet Earth is a 2006 television series produced by the BBC Natural History Unit. Five years in the making, it was the most expensive nature documentary series ever commissioned by the BBC, and also the first to be filmed in high definition...
, and PBS's Oregon Field GuideOregon Field GuideOregon Field Guide is a weekly television program produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting focusing on recreation, the outdoors, and environmental issues in the state of Oregon. Part of the Oregon zeitgeist, it is produced and hosted by Steve Amen...
. - Sillett was named Scholar of the Year at Humboldt State UniversityHumboldt State UniversityHumboldt State University is the northernmost campus of the California State University system, located in Arcata within Humboldt County, California, USA. The main campus, nestled at the edge of a coast redwood forest, is situated on Preston hill overlooking Arcata and with commanding views of...
in 2006.
Awards and affiliations
In addition to being a Grantee to the Save-the-Redwoods LeagueSave-the-Redwoods League
The Save the Redwoods League is an organization dedicated to the protection of the remaining Coast Redwood trees in the state of California. It was founded in 1918 by Frederick Russell Burnham, Madison Grant, John C. Merriam, and Henry Fairfield Osborn....
, some of Sillett’s awards and acknowledgments include:
- The William Sterling Sullivant Award for Best Bryophyte Paper (1995)
- A National Science FoundationNational Science FoundationThe National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
Fellowship - The Beinecke Brothers Memorial Scholarship
Affiliations include:
- Ecological Society of AmericaEcological Society of AmericaThe Ecological Society of America is a professional organization of ecological scientists. Based in the United States, ESA publishes a suite of publications, from peer-reviewed journals to newsletters, fact sheets and teaching resources. It holds an annual meeting at different locations in the...
- American Bryological and Lichenological Society
- Northwest Scientific Association
- California Native Plant Society
- California Faculty Association
- International Canopy Network
Recent publications
- Sillett, S. C., and R. Van Pelt. 2007. Trunk reiteration promotes epiphytes and water storage in an old-growth redwood forest canopy. Ecological Monographs, in press.
- Williams, C. B., and S. C. Sillett. 2007. Epiphyte communities on redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) in northwestern California, USA. Bryologist 110:420-452.
- Woolley, L. P., T. W. Henkel, and S. C. Sillett. 2007. Reiteration in the monodominant tropical tree Dicymbe corymbosa and its potential adaptive significance. Biotropica, in press.
Additional reading
- "Climbing the Redwoods," Richard Preston, The New Yorker, February 14, 2005, p. 212
- "Tall For Its Age," Richard Preston, The New Yorker, October 9, 2006, p. 32