Scale The World's Tallest Trees In National Geographic Channel's Explorer: Climbing Redwood Giants and National Geographic Magazine's October Cover Story, 'The Tallest Trees'

Scale The World's Tallest Trees In National Geographic Channel's Explorer: Climbing Redwood Giants and National Geographic Magazine's October Cover Story, 'The Tallest Trees'

One-hour NGC Episode Premieres Tuesday, September 29, 2009, at 10 p.m. ET/PT --October Magazine Includes Pull-Out Poster of Full-Length Digital Portrait of Redwood Tree, Composed of 84 Images Stitched Together

WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This fall, National Geographic journeys deep into the great redwood forests on the American West Coast. For the first time, we'll size up the health and future of the entire redwood range and scale the trees to glimpse rich canopy ecosystems in the clouds. Then, we'll see how state-of-the-art digital technology provides a never-before-seen perspective of a 300-foot tall titan.

The redwood adventure is described in the cover story of the October issue of National Geographic magazine and in NGC's Explorer: Climbing Redwood Giants, premiering Tuesday, September 29, 2009, at 10 p.m. ET/PT. More information can be found at nationalgeographic.com/redwoods.

In 2007-2008, conservationist and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Mike Fay set out to walk the entire redwood range to study how forestry management is affecting the trees' survival. Both the magazine cover article and film illuminate Fay and his hiking partner's unprecedented 333-day, 1,800-mile trek from Big Sur north to southern Oregon.

Juxtaposed with the challenges of Fay's 11-month trek through clear-cuts, second-growth forest, dense underbrush and soaring cathedral-like old-growth stands, Explorer: Climbing Redwood Giants highlights the work of forest scientist Steve Sillett of Humboldt State University ? the first scientist to climb into redwood canopies and pioneer studies of their rich canopy ecosystems.

Sillett's painstaking cataloging and measurement of trees by hand is complemented by a new use of lidar (light detection and ranging) technology, which allows him to pinpoint trees from airplane surveys -- prompting discoveries of tall trees hidden on slopes or valleys. Viewers are taken up into the trees to experience the grandeur of the canopy and get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how National Geographic photographer Nick Nichols captured a unique perspective of a 300-foot tall tree.

With insight from Fay's expedition and Sillett's research, as well as that of foresters practicing forest management, National Geographic celebrates the majesty of the remaining ancient giants and shines a light on what the future holds for our redwood forests.

Source: National Geographic Channel

CONTACT: National Geographic Magazine: Beth Foster, +1-202-857-7543,
bfoster@ngs.org, Photos: Kate Baylor, +1-202-862-5299, kbaylor@ngs.org; or
National Geographic Channel: Chris Albert, +1-202-912-6526,
CAlbert@natgeochannel.com

Web Site: http://nationalgeographic.com/redwoods

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