Michael Edward Kauffmann

MICHAEL KAUFFMANN grew up in the eastern deciduous forests of Virginia and would stare out the window in the winter, hooting for barred owls and wonder…why are some of those trees still green? He nurtured his evergreen conifer fascination in the Appalachian Mountains with a biology degree from Virginia Tech. Upon graduation, found a job teaching outdoor education in California. Sans family, alone in the West, he began to hang out with giant sequoias and foxtail pines on weekends. The high country conifers of southern California entertained him for many years until the temperate rainforest eventually called him north to Humboldt County where he earned a biology Master’s degree from Cal Poly Humboldt for his first book Conifer Country.

He now lives in Kneeland, California, with his wife, Allison, and his sons, Sylas and Asa. He has also authored Conifers of the Pacific Slope and co-author of Field Guide to Manzanitas and California Desert Plants. Besides writing, he works as a devoted Kindergarten through College teacher, is the founder and president of the Bigfoot Trail Alliance, and a research plant ecologist.