The largest trees in the world
Contents:
• People may have many cool abilities, but we will never grow to the 38th floor, like the tallest tree in the world.
• But, unlike the proverbial Jack's Beanstalk, plants can't grow forever.
- In an article entitled 'Studying the Limits to Maximum Tree Growth', Jonathan Amos of the BBC's science department states that the maximum height of a tree is about 130 meters.
- As the tree reaches this mark, it will pump less and less water and nutrients. They simply won't be enough for new growth.
- There is no living tree in the world that would grow up to 130 meters.
10 tallest trees in the world
• Here are the top 10 tallest trees in the world currently in existence, with photos and height data.
10. Mendocino — 112,20 m
•
• From the beginning of 1996 to the end of the summer of 2000, this tree from the Montgomery Woods Reserve was considered the tallest tree in the world. Then he was moved from the top position by several taller trees.
• Mendocino is not marked to remain protected from vandals and tourists.
9. Paradox — 112,56 m
•
• Although this sequoia is not the tallest tree on the planet, it is exquisitely slender. The tree got its name for its paradoxically narrow trunk, which is only 3,9 meters in diameter.
8. Rockefeller – 112,6 m
•
• It was named in honor of John D. Rockefeller, who in the period from 1926 to 1929 donated 2 million dollars to the Sequoia Rescue League, which made it possible to buy a large forest and prevent its use by the Pacific Lumber Company.
• In 1931, the territory with an area of about 37,8 sq. km, called the Rockefeller Forest, became the main component of the Humboldt Redwoods State Park.
7. Lauralyn — 112,62 m
•
• This is a majestic specimen of sequoia, distinguished by its reddish color and leaves looking down. It is located 314 km north of San Francisco, and got its name in honor of one of the trees from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium.
6. Orion — 112,63 m
•
• And again, sequoia is among the tallest trees. Her family is sunny California, Redwood National Park. But where exactly to look for Orion – the management of the park does not say, in order to avoid an influx of tourists.
• Orion is no longer young even by the standards of trees, his estimated age is 1830 years.
5. National Geographic Society — 112,71 m
•
• The estimated age of this long-lived sequoia is about 2000 years. At the same time, sequoias are not the longest-lived tree species.
• There is little information about the location of this giant – it is only known that it grows near one of the Californian rivers – Redwood Creek.
4. Stratospheric giant – 113 m
•
• When this tree appeared in the world, you and I, dear readers, did not yet exist. According to scientists, the Stratospheric Giant is already 1500 years old, and given that sequoias can live for 2000 years, this worthy representative of the tallest trees may outlive us.
3. Icarus — 113,14 m
•
• Like the hero of the Greek myth, this tree suffered from the sun, which burned its top. Hence its name. However, this detail will not help the uninitiated to identify him, since in the area where Icarus grows, there are hundreds of trees with scorched tops.
• Icarus is the third tallest tree in the world and was discovered on the same day as Helios (in second place on the chart of the longest trees).
2. Helios — 114,58 m
•
• The credit for finding the second tallest sequoia in the world belongs to Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor. The place of discovery is Redwood National Park. From the moment of its discovery in 2006 to the present day, this tree has grown even more, so its height is slightly less than that of the leader of the rating.
• The location of Helios was kept a secret for some time, but today it is known that it is not in the forest, but on top of a hill.
1. Hyperion is the tallest tree in the world, 115,61 m high
•
• The titanic evergreen sequoia comes from California's Redwood National Park. Being the tallest tree in the world, Hyperion is not so old by the standards of trees, according to different estimates, it was 600 to 800 years old. Consider this youth in comparison with the oldest tree on Earth – the spiny pine Methuselah, whose age exceeded 4850 years.
• The giant Hyperion is located deep in the park, far from any tourist trail and behind dense vegetation. For at least 16 years, the park refused to reveal the location of the tree.
• But these precautions turned out to be an unreliable deterrent. Many lovers of spicy sensations challenge secrecy. The mysterious tree spawned hundreds of Reddit threads with comments like "give me $7 million and a plane and I'll find it" or "think how many napkins we could make with this thing!"
• Finally, in August 2023, Redwood Park management announced that visitors caught near Hyperion could be sentenced to six months in prison and a fine of $5000.
• What are these strict measures and secrecy related to? The fact is that visitors can cause serious and irreversible damage to the environment by destroying the foundation of Hyperion, increasing soil compaction and damaging its shallow roots, the park's statement says.
• It is not known whether Hyperion can hold the title of the largest mahogany in history, or larger specimens simply became victims of loggers.
The tallest tree – 60-80 m
Nordmann fir (aka Caucasian fir) is found in the mountains of the eastern Black Sea region. It was named after professor of botany Alexander von Nordmann, one of the leaders of the Odessa Botanical Garden. Among these firs, there is no single owner of the title "highest". Under favorable conditions, these shade-loving beauties can stretch up to 60-80 meters.
The tallest tree in Asia – 100,8 m
In 2019, a team of researchers announced the discovery of a giant 100,8 meters tall growing in the forests of the state of Sabah on the island of Borneo.
• If this tree were laid on the ground, it would be longer than a football field. Scientists named the tree "Menara", which means "tower" in Malaysian.
• The estimated biomass of the tree is 81500 kg, of which 95% is in the trunk and 5% is in the crown.
The tallest eucalyptus in the world – about 100 m
The tallest regal eucalyptus trees can be found in Tasmania. The height of the eucalyptus, bearing the proud nickname "Centurion", is about 100 meters. Experts say Centurion is still growing, albeit slowly
• It is the tallest living deciduous tree on Earth. It was discovered in October 2008 by Tasmania Forestry officials while analyzing data collected by a lidar system used to map and assess local forest resources.
How to measure the height of a tree?
• In the case of the tallest tree in existence, one of the researchers climbed up the tree and dropped a measuring tape on the ground.
• Also, laser rangefinders are used to measure the height of trees.
Tallest tree ever measured
• The tallest tree in the world that was measured in the 19th century is not a sequoia, but a mountain ash.
• In 1872, the report of the Australian state forest inspector William Ferguson mentions a fallen and scorched eucalyptus regal (aka Eucalyptus regnans, aka mountain ash), which in life had a height of at least 132 meters.
• Around the same time, several specimens 140 m tall were recorded.
• Alas, we cannot verify these measurements: all these trees have been cut down. Rowan has been and is an important building material in Australia.
