Though Kenneth L. Fisher is best known as one of the world’s leading financial advisors, he also has had a lifelong interest in massive trees. In 2006, Fisher established the Kenneth L. Fisher Chair in Redwood Forest Ecology. It is the first named chair at Humboldt State University and the first endowed chair in the world to support the study of one tree species. Fisher’s gift supports redwood ecology research at Humboldt State University in perpetuity by releasing a Humboldt State professor from half of his or her teaching schedule so that he or she can focus on redwood-related research.
As the first Kenneth L. Fisher Chair in Redwood Forest Ecology, Professor Stephen Sillett is intensifying his pioneering studies of redwood canopies. The gift, which supports the named chair, provides approximately $90,000 per year and represents investments of approximately $3.6 million. The Fisher endowment also provides support for graduate students, laboratory, and field equipment.
Photo Tour: Science Atop the World’s Tallest Trees
Doing Canopy Science
How exactly do scientists explore the tops of the world’s tallest trees? Here’s a slideshow detailing the climbing techniques involved in canopy research at Humboldt State University.
Redwood
These five photo tours detail the world’s tallest trees, the crown structure of redwood trees, views from old-growth forest canopies, and the unique plants and animals that live hundreds of feet above the ground.
Giant Sequoia
This photo tour covers my work with Sequoiadendron giganteum, the giant sequoia. This species is confined to California’s Sierra Nevada, where they reach sizes greater than the biggest living coast redwoods and ages up to 3200 years.
Douglas-Fir
Before logging took its toll on the Douglas-fir in British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon, specimens over 400 feet tall were measured. Today the highest concentration of Douglas–firs over 300 feet tall reside in northwestern California amidst the redwoods, as shown in this photo tour.
Sitka Spruce
Targeted by loggers for its wood, whose strength to weight ratio is among the highest on Earth, very little old–growth Sitka spruce forest remains. As with Douglas–fir, the highest concentration of Sitka spruce over 300 feet now resides in northwestern California amidst the redwoods.
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus regnans is the undisputed tallest flowering plant in the world. There are, for instance, many well-publicized claims of several trees over 400 feet that were either logged or burned in the 19th and 20th centuries. Today the tallest living individual is a Tasmanian tree 318.2 feet to a dead top. This photo tour takes you into an Australian forest where we found Eucalyptus trees in the 300-foot range.
