Barnes authored and coauthored many influential books, with the most prominent being Michigan Trees, a field guide completed in collaboration with Warren H.
[3] Barnes is also well-known for being the first scientist to recognize the largest known individual tree, the Populus tremuloides colony known as "Pando".
Naval School of Music in August 1954, and earned the Schoen-René Fellowship, which facilitated his education at the University of Göttingen, from which he received his Ph.D. in 1959.
[1] Barnes is distinguished for his creation and instruction of the "Woody Plants" course, a course which has strongly influenced many University of Michigan-educated botanists.
"[2] While Barnes made many contributions in terms of research and literature — such as the acclaimed Michigan Trees — he is consistently recognized for the impact of his instruction.