You can remove loops by selecting them and hitting Ctrl + Backspace. This removes the edges AND the vertices. Just hitting Backspace will remove the loops, but will leave the vertices. marq4porsche - Yeah, there is a Collapse tool in Max.
Ah-ha, collapse was the word I was looking for! I'm working on collapsing vertices on the higher areas of the trunk sections: Eventually I'll get it down to a 3-sided cylinder at the top. I also took a blind stab at tweaking the normals for the leaves like Super Happy Cow suggested. The results look good in the Crazy Bump…