There are many tall trees all over the world whose extraordinary height has been exaggerated and controversial. Nevertheless, with the help of the latest measuring instruments such as laser rangefinders and tape fall measurements, it was possible to find out the real height of the giant trees. Here ten tallest trees in the worldthat remain the same while the world changes around them.
Almost all of the trees presented are so tall that it is simply impossible to photograph them completely. Dense vegetation also makes it difficult to do this.
10. Mendocino
The height of the tree is 112.20 m.
Located in Montgomery Woods (a nature reserve in the USA), Mendocino held the title of the tallest tree in the world from 1996 to 2000. There are other sequoias growing near Mendocino, but if you look at them from above, the giant rises above its fellows just like Arnold Schwarzenegger above the kids in the movie "Kindergarten Policeman".
9. Paradox
Height - 112.56 m.
The tree, located in the John Davison Rockefeller forest in Humboldt (USA), was considered the tallest tree on the planet until our tenth rating, that is, from 1995 to 1996. It is inferior to Mendocino in barrel diameter (3.9 meters versus 4.19 meters). And it was very difficult for researchers and just curious to find it, since there were no photos or coordinates of the Paradox at that time. Of all the giant trees known to date, Paradox stands out for its beauty.
8. Rockefeller
Height - 112.6 m.
Paradox's neighbor, also native to California's Humboldt Redwood National Park and the eighth longest tree on Earth. Named in honor of the billionaire, famous not only for his fortune, but also for the number of years he has lived. Rockefeller's long slender "body" invariably delights those who are lucky enough to see him. And this is not easy to do, since the exact coordinates of most of the tallest trees are kept secret (it's easier than protecting them from vandal tourists around the clock), and it is not so easy to distinguish Rockefeller from other redwoods from below. Its trunk diameter has not yet been measured.
7. Lauralin
Height - 112.62 m.
And again the "inhabitant" of Humboldt Park got into the top 10 giant trees. It was discovered by Paul Zinke and Al Strangenburger. Like other sequoias, Lauralin is a whole ecosystem, birds nest in it, insects live, lichens and other representatives of the local flora grow. It is noteworthy that Lauralin's location is not hidden from the public.
6. Orion
Height - 112.63 m.
One of the tallest trees in California's Redwood National Park Finding Orion is nearly impossible because the tree giant sits right next to two other giant sequoias, even though it is twice their size when viewed from above. Orion is about 1500 years old.
5. National Geographic Society
Height - 112.71 m.
A giant with a long name, belonging to the sequoias, was discovered in 1994.At that time, he was considered the largest known tree in the world and held this title for a year. The tree is located near the Redwood Creek River, but its exact location is being kept under wraps. It is larger in diameter than Mendocino and Paradox (4, 39 meters).
4. Stratospheric giant
Height at the time of detection - 112.34 m
This worthy representative of the tallest trees was found in 2000 in the Humboldt National Park. Then the tree was 112.34 meters high, but it continues to grow. In 2010, it reached a height of 113.11 meters. Like all the other numbers in our hit parade, the Stratospheric Giant belongs to the sequoias and is surrounded by many trees that are almost as tall. The exact location of the tree is hidden so that it is not damaged by overly active citizens.
3. Icarus
Height - 113.14 m.
In third place on the chart for the longest trees is the sequoia, discovered by Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor in Redwood Park, California. Icarus got its name for the "crown" of the dead, burnt out in the sun. However, there are enough other trees in Redwood, with dead tops, so it will be deliberately difficult to find Icarus, and the public is not told where exactly he is.
2. Helios
Height - 114.58 m.
Another tallest sequoia tree found in the Redwood parkland by Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor in July 2006. It is not much shorter than the number one competitor.
1. Hyperion - 115.61 m
Topping the top 10 tallest trees in the world is the sequoia from Northern California, which bears the proud name Hyperion. Its trunk volume is 502 m³, and its age is estimated at 700-800 years. Indefatigable naturalists Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor discovered a tree in Redwood National Park and believe that Hyperion's height could have been greater if not for woodpeckers. They damaged the trunk of the titanic tree at its very top. The last measurement of Hyperion was carried out in 2015.
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Sequoias, or red trees, are the tallest tree species on Earth. They could compete with representatives of the species "pretty fir" (aka Douglas fir) and eucalyptus trees in Australia, but the largest of these trees were mercilessly cut. By the way, the same fate awaited Hyperion, but luckily the Redwood Valley became Redwood National Park in the 70s of the last century, and cutting trees there was prohibited. Currently, there are hundreds of sequoias exceeding 100 m and no other living trees exceeding this height.
Although the trunk length of Hyperion is unsurpassed, it is inferior in volume, weight and age to a sequoia called General Sherman. The height of General Sherman is modest, compared with other representatives of the rating of the tallest trees - 83.8 m, but the weight is a record 1900 tons, the trunk volume is 1487 m³, and the age reaches from 2300 to 2700 years.
The tallest tree in the world - Hyperion
Until August 2006 the title "tallest tree in the world"Belonged to a giant 112.7-meter sequoia, nicknamed" the stratospheric giant. " It is located in the Humboldt National Park in California. To give you some idea of the massive size of this tree, let's say it is twice the height of the Statue of Liberty, minus the foundation.
But the giant lost its status when two naturalists, Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor, stumbled upon a group of trees in California's Redwood National Park that were taller than any of those they had seen before. They made preliminary measurements using professional laser equipment and found not one, not two, but three trees that were taller than the "stratospheric giant."
Hyperion means "very high"
The tallest tree named Hyperion is 115 meters tall.... If you have no idea how big Hyperion is, then imagine: the height of Big Ben in London is 96.3 m, that is, it is significantly lower than this tree.
This gigantic redwood (sequoia) would have been even taller if not for the woodpeckers, who damaged the very top of the trunk. This slowed Hyperion's upward advance.
When Atkins and Taylor announced their discovery, a team of scientists led by environmentalist Steve Sillett from Humboldt State University arrived at the park to measure the find.
This was done in the most accurate way: Sillett climbed to the top of the tree to lower the tape from there directly to the ground. The descent of this tape was filmed for National Geographic.
Hyperion was very lucky: in the 70s of the 20th century, only a few hundred kilometers from him there was a clear felling of trees. About two weeks before a man with a saw approached Hyperion, Redwood Valley became Redwood National Park. Logging companies feared this would happen and worked 24/7, harvesting valuable mahogany wood and relentlessly destroying old-growth forests that were there long before people entered the valley. Most of the sequoias, from which the tallest trees grow, are less fortunate than Hyperion. To date, only 4% of mahogany forests have survived in America.
Hyperion is fairly young by the standards for mahogany and continues to grow. Sillett believes that the tree is "only" 600 years old, which is about 20 years by human standards.
The exact location of Hyperion is kept secret by the park rangers to avoid the tourist crush near the tree. This can upset the delicate balance of the forest ecosystem and harm the tree. After all, tourists can not only admire the huge tree, but also chop off part of the bark "for memory" or scrawl something on it in the style of "Jack and Sally were here."
As Sillett put it, trees cannot escape the paparazzi like humans, and history teaches us that bad things happen to trees that have become too popular.
It is completely unclear whether Hyperion is the tallest redwood tree or simply the largest redwood tree we know of. After all, 96% of sequoia forests fell victim to lumberjacks.
Tallest tree ever measured
The tallest tree in the world, which was measured in the 19th century, is not a sequoia, but a mountain ash.
- In 1872, in a report by the Australian inspector of state forests, William Ferguson, a fallen and burnt regal eucalyptus (aka Eucalyptus regnans, aka mountain ash) is mentioned, which during his lifetime had at least 132 meters high.
- Around the same time, several specimens 140 m high were recorded. Alas, we cannot verify these measurements: all these trees were cut down. Rowan has been and still is an important building material in Australia.
The tallest living eucalyptus trees can be found in Tasmania. The height of the eucalyptus, proudly nicknamed "Centurion", is about 100 meters. This is the tallest living deciduous tree on Earth. It was discovered in October 2008 using a laser mounted on an airplane, which measured terrain height, forest height and forest biomass.
How tall can a tree be
In an article entitled “Exploring the Limits of Maximum Tree Growth,” Jonathan Amos of the BBC Science Division argues that the maximum the height of the tree can be 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.