The tree, which is located in Sequoia National Park, in the Sierra Nevada Mountains (USA), is considered the largest tree on the planet. This is a giant sequoia called the General Sherman tree. This tree also holds the title of the largest living creature on the planet.
Height General Sherman tree is more than 83 meters. Regarding the circumference of the giant, we can say the following: the circumference of the trunk is 24 meters, and the circumference of the crown is 33 meters.
In the nineteenth century, explorer John Muir came to this area, who called this place the “Giant Forest”, as he was impressed by the giant sequoias growing here. This name stuck and this part of the park is still called that way.
Many tourists from all over the world come to see the General Sherman tree. And it invariably amazes them with its size. Most often, they describe the unique tree as an orange-red “stone”, the top of which is almost impossible to see from below.
The General Sherman tree was named after General William Sherman, hero civil war. Now many people dream of taking pictures against the backdrop of this landmark: next to the giant sequoia they look very small and fragile.
For decades it was believed that it was unique tall tree lives on our planet for over three thousand years. However latest research helped establish a more accurate age for General Sherman's tree. It turns out that it is quite young - it is only two thousand years old!
Thus, this sequoia is not the oldest tree in the world. The oldest is considered to be Californian pine, which was 4484 years old. But she couldn’t get older: in 1965 she was cut down. Sequoia trees, which were approximately three thousand years old, were also cut down. However, scientists hope that somewhere on earth there are still five-thousand-year-old trees growing.
In winter 2006, the largest branch fell off General Sherman's tree. Its diameter was more than two meters, and its length was more than thirty meters. Thus, the tree lost part of its spreading crown. The moment the branch fell to the ground, it damaged the fence and road. But even after such “deprivation,” General Sherman’s tree still holds the status of the largest tree on the planet.
So that even people with disabilities could get to General Sherman's tree; a specially landscaped path leads to it. The brick tiles of the path are laid out to the places where the roots of the modern biological miracle begin.
Every year the trunk diameter of the giant sequoia increases by 1.5 centimeters. From this you can see that the General Sherman tree is alive, and it is still developing and growing. The California State Park website states that each year the unique tree adds enough wood to build a five or six-room house.
If we talk about giant sequoias in general, then their mature trees often grow up to 100 meters in height, while the diameter of their trunk is 10-12 meters. By tree rings It has been established that the oldest giant sequoia that still grows on earth is 3.2 thousand years old.
The flora of our planet never ceases to amaze with its diversity. A special place is given to trees. They have grown on Earth since ancient times. Diversity in appearance, shape, habitat, size - all this forces a person to study them with special care. Sometimes you can meet real record holders, for example, the tallest tree in the world. This will be discussed in this article.
Growth champion - general information
Sequoia is the name of the tallest tree in the world. This is a coniferous tree found mostly only in the state of California (USA).
It got its name in honor Indian chief, who invented the Cherokee syllabary and became the founder of a newspaper in that language.
The local population, who are already accustomed to these giants, simply call this plant “mahogany.”
Most of these giants are found in the Muir Forest, Redwood and national park"Sequoia".
Among the giants you can find both “aged” and fairly young specimens.
Currently, the title of "Tallest Tree in the World" belongs to a sequoia called "Hyperion". It is over 115 m tall, 11 m in diameter and about 800 years old.
What is the tallest tree in the world? A little history
In ancient times, when air humidity was higher, sequoia was also found in today's territories of Japan, France, Spitsbergen and the New Siberian Islands. The Ice Age also had a significant impact on settlement.
Until 1848, this tree was not exploited in the forest. This is due to the large size of the plant, since it was difficult to fell it with an ax and even (later) a saw.
The beginning of the destruction of the unique forest is considered to be the “gold rush” that came to these territories in the same 1848. The US authorities took protection of this tree only after about half of these giants had been cut down. Then the sequoia was declared a national property.
Appearance
The crown of the plant has a conical shape. Sequoia branches grow mostly horizontally, less often with a slight downward slope.
The bark of this giant is quite thick and can reach 30 cm in width. It is fibrous and soft to the touch; when you touch it, it seems as if your hand is plunging into it; the sensations are very unusual. When the bark is removed, it is red-brown, but after a while it darkens.
The tallest tree in the world changes its appearance with age. In “youth” (up to 100 years) it resembles a dark green pyramid. The branches densely cover the trunk from the ground to the top. Over time, its lower part becomes exposed and becomes thicker.
The leaves are small, reaching 15-25 cm in length. In young sequoia they grow elongated and flat, in long-lived ones they grow with arrows in the lower crown, and scaly in the upper crown.
The cones of these giants are small, no more chicken egg, approximately 1.5-3.5 cm. Pollination occurs at the end of winter, and after 8-9 months up to 7 seeds ripen. They fall to the ground when the cone dries and opens.
It is expected that by 2017 the record holder will change again, and it will become the Helion sequoia, which now reaches 114 meters. This is due to the fact that the tree grows very quickly, which cannot be said about “Hyperion” with its top damaged by woodpeckers.
Age
Sequoia is not only the tallest tree in the world. It also breaks world records for the fauna of our planet in terms of age. The plant is also called a "living fossil" or mammoth tree. On average, a sequoia lives from two to four thousand years.
The real record holder among representatives of this species is a tree with an age of 4484 years. It was established using the growth rings of a cut sequoia tree in 1965.
In the pre-glacial period, the number of these plants was greater, perhaps dinosaurs also rested under them. Archaeologists have proven that the tree grew in the Jurassic period.
The secret of the longevity of these giants is in their root system. It is superficial and widely branched. Thanks to this, when searching for water and other nutrients it covers a large area.
The special sequoia bark plays a significant role; it is very thick and contains chemical elements, repelling various insects and other pests.
Sequoia National Park
It is located in the state of California and has an area of 1683 sq. km. It got its name thanks to its majestic inhabitants. It was formed in 1890 with the aim of protecting these trees. It has mountainous terrain.
The largest plants are under special protection, surrounded by a fence and even have their own name.
The most popular is the General Sherman tree. You can see him in the Forest of Giants. It is about 2 thousand years old, the plant reaches a height of 81 meters, and its circumference at the base is 32 meters.
The General Sherman Sequoia continues to grow today, each year the diameter of the trunk increases by an average of 1.5 cm. Its wood would be enough to build a six-room house.
Thanks to such amazing characteristics the tree received the title of “largest”.
The tallest tree in the world, the Hyperion sequoia, is located in another Redwood National Park. However, five out of ten record holders among plants for growth grow here.
The national park is also famous for other attractions. Here you can drive a car through a small tunnel cut through the middle of a sequoia tree that fell onto the road and blocked further movement.
The park is also famous for its caves, of which there are more than 250.
Living conditions
Sequoia needs high humidity, so it grows near the coast Pacific Ocean. The tree can be found at an altitude of 30-750 m above sea level. It grows both on the shore and in the mountain gorge. It loves fogs, from which it receives up to 30% of all the necessary humidity, which allows the tree to grow taller and larger.
Despite their scarcity (only 500 specimens remain in the world), the tallest trees in the world are very viable. Around the huge stumps left over from the cut down giants, you can always see young shoots, and they also begin to grow instead of a broken branch or top. Usually the “new generation” grows very quickly.
It has been proven that the tallest trees in the world - sequoias - have the ability to purify the air from carbon dioxide better than other plants. Forest owners who have not cut down a significant part of them for a hundred years receive special compensation for lost profits. It's called a carbon credit.
Fires are not destructive to this tree; its bark does not burn. On the contrary, they have great importance for his survival. Fire prepares the forest floor for germination and thins the forest of other plants, allowing sunlight to reach young shoots. The heat also causes the buds to open, causing the seeds to fall to the ground.
Sequoia will grow well in other conditions (someone even tries to plant it at home), but the process will be long, and it will not reach its majestic size, as in natural environment a habitat.
The tallest and largest trees in the world
These titles are transferred from one to another creation of nature from time to time.
Sequoia is the absolute record holder among all trees. However, you should not ignore other plants.
The giant eucalyptus from the dense forests of Tasmania is the tallest deciduous tree in the world. It reaches 101 meters. Experts have established that its age is 400 years old, the plant was named “Centurion”. It is included in the Guinness Book of Records because it is the tallest flowering tree in the world.
One should not ignore another giant - a record holder, but this time in terms of trunk thickness. This is a baobab, or Adansonia palmata. It grows only 30 m in height, but its diameter can reach 9 m. This plant does not have growth rings, which will make it difficult to determine its age. However, thanks special analyzes it has been proven that a tree with a trunk diameter of 4.5 meters is approximately 5000 years old.
Only the European chestnut can compete with the baobab. A tree with a trunk diameter of 20 m has been known since 1845.
Tallest tree in Russia
Our country also has its own giants. These are Siberian firs. They grow up to 60-100 meters. The straight trunk of the tree is densely covered with branches, making it seem as if the crown starts from the ground itself.
IN Krasnodar region The Nordmann fir is known, which under favorable conditions reaches 80 m in height. Even the common spruce, which grows throughout Russia, can stretch up to 60 meters.
There is another tall tree - it is 18 meters Siberian cedar, its trunk girth is 3 m, age is 250 years. This evergreen coniferous tree is considered one of the most beautiful in this region. Siberian cedar can reach a maximum height of 40 meters, since it grows for up to 500 years.
On Earth there are very a large number of tall trees. IN different parts There are trees around the world that are called the tallest on the planet. In some cases, the sizes are exaggerated, but there are also trees that amaze the imagination with their dimensions. With the advent the latest tools height measurements, more reliable information appears about the true size of the most big trees in the world.
Thanks to modern technology people were able to measure the true height of these colossi flora. Laser-based rangefinders, falling tape meters, etc. were used for measurement. Researchers have managed to formulate the ten tallest trees in the world, which are so huge that taking a full-length photo of them is only possible by climbing to a certain height. Many of these giants continue to grow.
Tallest tree in the world
The location of many trees remains a secret, so finding photos of them is very difficult. Despite the fact that Hyperion is the tallest tree in the world, its mass is far from the most impressive. According to this indicator, the colossal sequoia General Sherman is beyond competition. Despite the relatively small height (83.8 m), the General has a record weight of 1.9 thousand tons with a trunk volume of a phenomenal 1.5 thousand square meters. Scientists are confident that the General Sherman sequoia is at least 2.7 thousand years old.
Mendocino ranks tenth
Mendocino is one of the largest trees in America
A huge sequoia with a height of 112.2 m is located in the Montgomery Woods Nature Reserve in the United States. From 1996 to 2000 Mendocino was considered the tallest tree on the planet. There are quite a few redwoods growing not far from the giant, but compared to Mendocino they look like a kindergarten teacher kindergarten surrounded by children.
Paradox - ninth on the list
Paradox, height 112.5 meters
A tree 112.5 m high, located in a forest area owned by billionaire J. Rockefeller near the town of Humboldt (USA). The diameter of the Paradox trunk is 3.9 m, which is slightly less than that of Mendocino (4.19 m). Sequoia was discovered by accident; researchers who first saw the tree were amazed by its beauty. Paradox rises majestically above the forest, under its thick crown a company of soldiers can hide in the shadows.
Rockefeller - ranks eighth in the ranking
Rockefeller takes 8th position in the ranking
Another giant tree associated with a famous billionaire. Rockefeller is a 112.6 m tall sequoia located relatively close to Paradox in the Humboldt Redwood National Forest. The name in honor of the billionaire is symbolic - the tree is very old, just like the entrepreneur, respected in the United States.
Sequoia is distinguished by its height, slenderness and density of crown. Those who were lucky enough to see Rockefeller remembered him for the rest of their lives. By the way, seeing a tree is not so easy - the coordinates of all the colossi of the plant world are classified: this is one of the most effective ways protect them from vandals. If a person walks through the park, he simply will not understand that in front of him is a giant. In terms of trunk thickness, the famous sequoia is not much different from its surrounding counterparts.
Lauralin - is in the seventh position of the top
Southern giant Lauralin
Sequoia with romantic name and an impressive height of 112.62 m. This giant, like the previous one, “lives” in the American Humboldt National Park. The gigantic tree was found by biologists P. Zinke and E. Stragenburger. The researchers were amazed incredible beauty tree, in fact, representing a full-fledged ecological system. From the roots to the crown, Lauralin is home to a wide variety of living creatures. Hares live at its foot, squirrels live in hollows on the middle floors, and birds build nests on the branches. In addition, the Lauralina ecosystem includes many species of lichens and insects.
This giant sequoia is not hidden from the public: those visiting Humboldt Park are sure to come to see the amazing tree.
Orion - a giant sequoia in sixth place
Orion - tree height is 112.63 meters
In the very center national reserve Redwood (California, USA) grows a gigantic sequoia called Orion. The height of this amazing creation of Mother Nature is 112.63 m. Orion carefully hid from prying eyes, it was very difficult to find him. The fact is that the giant is located next to two other huge sequoias: each of these trees is 2 times lower than Orion, but they are in no way inferior to it in thickness. You can only see the colossal difference between the sequoias from a considerable height. Orion is one of oldest trees on earth, its age is 1.5 thousand years.
National Geographic Society - in fifth place
NGO. The height of the tree is 112.71 m.
A giant sequoia named after a United States NGO. The giant was discovered in the Redwood Creek valley in 1994. For a year, the tree was considered the tallest in the world. The exact coordinates of the gigantic plant are classified. The trunk diameter is 0.20 m larger than that of Mendocino.
Stratospheric giant - fourth on the list
The height of this giant was 113.11 m.
An impressive tree that looks like a huge skyscraper. The scientists who discovered this sequoia were amazed by its height: it seemed to the researchers that the tree was touching the clouds with its branches. Hence the name of the plant colossus.
The stratospheric giant was found in 2000 in Humboldt National Park, a nature reserve famous for its record-breaking redwood trees.
At the time of discovery, the tree had a height of 112.34 m, but its growth continued. In 2010, scientists re-measured the height of the sequoia. It turned out that the Stratospheric Giant had increased in height: its height was 113.11 m. The tree is surrounded by large fellows and it is only possible to understand how huge it is from above. The coordinates of the Stratospheric Giant are being hidden: this is how scientists are trying to protect the sequoia from vandalism.
Icarus took third position in the ranking
Icarus reaches 113.4 meters
Finally, we got to the top three. The famous sequoia Icarus has risen to the third place in the ranking. The tree was found by researchers M. Taylor and K. Atkins, who wandered around the California Redwood Park for several days.
Biologists noticed that the top of the sequoia was dry, as if it had been burnt out in the sun. Atkins recalled the Greek myth of Icarus, a young man who decided to fly to the sun but was burned along the way. This is how the tree got its name.
However, almost any tree in Redwood Park can be called Icarus. Because of solar activity many of the redwoods in the preserve have dead tops. Actually, “Redwood” is translated from English as “Red Forest”.
Finding Icarus on your own is problematic, and its coordinates are carefully classified.
Helios is second in the ranking list
Helios reaches 114.58 m.
In the summer of 2006, K. Atkins and M. Taylor undertook another research expedition in the Red Forest. Surprisingly, researchers were able to discover another giant sequoia. It was a 114.58 m tall tree. Shocked Taylor and Atkins named the sequoia Helios in honor ancient Greek god Sun. This tree is only slightly inferior to the leader of our rating.
Hyperion is the tallest tree in the world and is in the top number one
Hyperion holds the record for all the tallest trees on the planet
So, we got to the tallest tree in the world. This is a unique Hyperion sequoia, growing in the same Redwood Park. Surprisingly, the restless K. Atkins and M. Taylor discovered Hyperion. After measuring the tree, it became clear that this incredible giant is a world record holder. Hyperion's parameters are amazing:
- height – 115.61 m;
- trunk diameter – 5 m.
Scientists believe that the age of the colossus is 800 years.
Chris and Michael are confident that the Hyperion sequoia could have reached even greater heights, but the tree was attacked by woodpeckers. Great amount birds settled in the branches of the giant plant, damaging the trunk. Despite the titanic power of the tree, the woodpeckers turned out to be stronger - the growth of the sequoia slowed down.
Video: the tallest sequoia tree from the cypress family
Sensation: despite gigantic size The leaves of the tree reach only 2 cm in length, and the root in the ground reaches only half a meter!
Sequoia is the tallest tree species in the world
Readers have already realized that the tallest tree in the world is the sequoia. This species is also called “mahogany”. Douglas fir (another name is “pretty fir”), as well as Australian eucalyptus trees, could compete with these colossi. Unfortunately, the tallest representatives of these two species were destroyed.
Sequoia Hyperion could also go under the saw, but in the 70s. In the 20th century, American authorities drew attention to the outrages of loggers in Redwood National Park and cutting down redwood trees in this area was strictly prohibited. Severe sanctions began to be applied to black lumberjacks, fined and even sent to prison.
The measures worked: in our time, many gigantic sequoias grow in the “Red Forest”. According to scientists' latest estimates, there are 100 trees in the Redwoods that are more than 100 meters tall. All of these are sequoias; representatives of other species, unfortunately, do not overcome the hundred-meter mark.
Until the summer of 2006, the status of the tallest tree in the world was held by the “Stratospheric Giant” sequoia in Humboldt Park. This colossus is twice the size of the Statue of Liberty.
It seemed that the tree simply could not be taller, but biologists K. Atkins and M. Taylor proved that this is far from true. Wandering through California's Redwood Park, they discovered a group giant trees, among which was an incredible colossus that looked like a skyscraper. After measurements with laser equipment, it turned out that the found tree was almost a meter taller than the “Stratospheric Giant”. Moreover, the nearby “comrades” of the giant also exceeded the size of the previous record holder of the plant world.
The tallest tree in the world is called Hyperion. This colossus is almost 30 meters higher than London's Big Ben.
Hyperion was measured by ecologist Steve Sillett, seconded to Redwood Park. national university them. Humboldt. Sillett, using climbing equipment, climbed to the top of the sequoia and lowered the tape from there. The NG television company recorded what was happening on film: the film can be viewed on the Internet. After measuring the tape, it turned out that the height of the tree is 115 meters.
Hyperion can be called a lucky tree. In the seventies of the last century, Redwood was an ordinary forest in which lumberjacks operated with might and main. Gigantic pines fell one after another, they were sawed into fragments and taken away on large trucks. Hyperion was scheduled to be cut down, but about 2 weeks before the colossus was to be defeated, the US government declared Redwood a national park.
The sawmills knew full well that Redwood was being recognized as a park, so they worked tirelessly with their chainsaws. Sequoia wood is one of the most valuable in the wood processing industry; companies received hundreds of thousands of dollars for one giant cut down.
Trees, many of which were hundreds of years old, were destroyed on an industrial scale. People could well have destroyed one of the undoubted treasures of humanity - the Redwood redwood forest.
Unfortunately, hundreds and even thousands of trees have not been as lucky as Hyperion. Currently, redwood forests account for only 4% of all green areas in the United States.
Hyperion is quite young for a plant of its kind: this tree has not yet finished growing. According to Sillett, the giant is no more than 800 years old (for comparison, the Orion sequoia has been on our planet for 1.5 thousand years).
Compared to human life, Hyperion is now 20 years old, in fact, it is a youth tree. The caretakers of Redwood Park have strictly kept the giant's coordinates secret. American scientists hope that the young tree will continue its growth, setting new incredible records.
Besides, hiking trips to Hyperion will certainly lead to disruption of the Redwood Forest ecosystem. The tree itself will also suffer: surely among tourists there will be those who like to put a “memorable” inscription on the tree or chop off a piece of bark.
According to Sillett, redwoods are a kind of “movie stars”, but they cannot escape from the paparazzi like their human counterparts. History has already shown that the popularity of giant sequoias leads to sad consequences.
History of measurements of giant trees
It is impossible to say whether Hyperion is the tallest tree of the last 100-200 years. People began to become interested in this topic relatively recently and no data has been preserved. In addition, 96% of redwood trees are destroyed by logging companies.
In 1872, William Ferguson, an employee of the Australian State Forestry Inspectorate, informed the authorities about the discovery of a fallen Eucalyptus regnans (the regal eucalyptus, a close relative of the familiar mountain ash). The tree had colossal dimensions. The visiting scientists took measurements and reported that the length of the eucalyptus was 132 meters.
After this, several more eucalyptus trees up to 140 meters high were found in Australia. Unfortunately, there is no way to confirm this data: the gigantic trees were cut down by loggers.
Eucalyptus wood turned out to be almost the only building material for Australian settlers.
There are almost no eucalyptus trees left in Australia these days, but they are found in Tasmania. For example, the famous Centurion eucalyptus is 100 meters high. The uniqueness of Centurion is that it is the tallest deciduous tree on our planet. The eucalyptus was found in the fall of 2008 by the laser of an aircraft searching for dominant heights in the area.
Tree height limit
In 2001, the English scientist D. Amos published in one of the authoritative scientific publications article on maximizing tree growth. The researcher conducted a series of experiments which, according to him, convincingly prove that the maximum height of a tree is 130 meters. After this mark, the plant will not be able to deliver the soil obtained from the soil to the crown. nutritional composition, its growth will stop.
Amos' theory has not yet found practical confirmation: there is not a single tree in the world 130 meters high.
Various studies show that today the highest are coniferous trees. Record holders usually come from the genus of eucalyptus, sequoia or other members of the Cypress family. While not all corners of the world have been thoroughly studied, there is a possibility that new technologies will help make new botanical discoveries.
For example, plants that are now considered the tallest in the world were discovered between 2006 and 2008. For a long time the location of the giants was kept secret so that the flow of curious naturalists would not harm the ecosystem of the place where the giants grow.
Tallest tree in the world
Today, the tallest tree in the world is considered to be the Hyperion sequoia, which grows in California. The trunk of this plant has a diameter of 4.85 meters. The tree has grown 115.5 meters in height and covers an area of 502 square meters. Researchers believe that Hyperion took root in the 13th century, and estimate its age at seven to eight centuries. The tree got its name in honor of one of the titan gods in ancient greek mythology. The exact coordinates of the giant, which could be entered into GPS, were not released to the public. The tree is known to be located in one of the remote areas state reserve Redwood in the USA.
In the park where the giant tree is located, there are several other very tall sequoias. These include Helios, whose height is 114.5 meters. He bore the title of absolute giant among his fellows until a taller specimen was found. By the way, this happened just a few months later in the same area. Interestingly, in ancient Greek mythology, Hyperion is the father of Helios. The trees grow close to each other. The trunk of Helios is thicker than that of Hyperion and is equal to 4.96 meters. Given the available data, it turns out that the two tallest trees in the world are in the United States.
Record holders in Russia
The Siberian fir is recognized as the record holder for height in Russia. But in a country with the most large area forests, there is no official holder of the title of botanical giant. There are many giant fir specimens in Siberian forests. The height of representatives of this family can reach 100 meters. There is no doubt that somewhere in the depths of the Siberian taiga rises a giant, not inferior to the American Hyperion. By the way, speaking of sequoias, an impressive representative of this species grows in Crimea. In the Nikitsky Botanical Garden in Yalta there is a tree whose height is 38 meters. The age of the Crimean giant does not exceed two hundred years.
The peninsula is also home to some of the oldest trees in Russia. Yews and some types of junipers preliminary estimates researchers have taken root in mountainous area Crimea no earlier than 2-3 thousand years ago. It is noteworthy that yews and junipers do not differ in height and large trunk diameter. They fit compactly into rock crevices, without fear of cliffs and steep mountain slopes. A height of 20 - 25 meters for such trees is evidence of an age of several thousand years. At least a dozen such trees have already been registered by volunteers in Crimea.
Widest tree
Baobab is a tree whose width exceeds that of all competitors. The trunk diameter of representatives of this species can reach ten meters. The most powerful fat man today is a tree called the “Big Baobab”. The girth of its base is 47 meters. The Big Baobab is located on the Van Heerden ranch in Limpopo province.
While landscaping the area, the owners noticed a cavity in the trunk of a huge tree, they cleaned it out and set up a bar in the resulting space. The Van Heerdens called their establishment “The Baobab Bar.” The diameter of the tree trunk is 10.6 meters. Research has shown that this baobab tree is more than 6 thousand years old, but the most interesting thing is that it continues to grow and bloom every spring.
Tallest tree in Africa
Speaking about baobabs, one cannot fail to mention that in their homeland there are also many giant trees. The tallest tree in Africa is on Mount Kilimanjaro. It comes from the genus Entandrophragm. The family of these plants settled in Tropical Africa and are not found anywhere else, this species is endangered. The highest entandrophragm on Mount Kilimanjaro reached 81.5 meters.
According to researchers, the tree is about 500 years old. Near the giant there are several more worthy representatives of their species. A group of trees on Mount Kilimanjaro was measured for four years, and in 2016, information finally appeared that the average height of entandrophragms in this area is 70-80 meters.
Record holders of the past
When talking about the tallest trees in the world, we cannot fail to mention the famous giants of the past. The most famous tree measured is the regal eucalyptus, found in Australia by forester William Fergusson. The man measured the tree and left notes about his discovery in 1872. According to Fergusson, the eucalyptus at the time of its discovery had a height of 132.5 meters, but based on indirect evidence, the forester concluded that previously the crown of the tree was 20 meters higher. Unfortunately, it is no longer possible to verify this data. The eucalyptus was felled and sawn into pieces for later use as building material.
To others famous giant of the past is Douglas yew from the Lynn Valley in British Columbia. According to reports in 1902, the tree grew 126.5 meters in height. It was also cut down and used for firewood. The third dead tree, the record of which has already been broken by representatives of the same genus, is another Californian sequoia. In 1873, foresters reported the height of this tree to be 112 meters.
Australia's tallest tree at the beginning of the last decade was destroyed by fire. Eucalyptus, which received the name El Grande, was one of the most worthy inhabitants of the forest in the south of the island of Tasmania. At the time of death, the tree was more than 79 meters high. In 2008, a tree was found in the same area, which is now considered the main giant of Australia. The regal eucalyptus, 99.6 meters high, received roman name Centurion.
City giants
It is unlikely that anyone would be surprised by the fact that the tallest and oldest trees are hidden from people in the thicket of a forest, nature reserve or in the mountains. In cities, giant plants simply cannot survive. In every locality there is a giant of its own, but the parameters of such plants are usually more modest than those of their wild-growing counterparts.
The Moscow champion in height among trees is the most beautiful magnolia kobus, which grows on the territory Botanical Garden next to the Moscow City complex. According to gardeners, this particular plant is the tallest in the Russian capital. There are many relict trees on the territory of the botanical garden, which are listed in the Red Book. Most vegetation that is presented in this interesting place, you won’t see it anywhere else in Moscow.
America's Capital District also has a champion - a 32-meter white oak tree growing on Northampton Street. Interestingly, the giant is guarded by forces local residents as a city asset. Volunteers take care of the tree’s crown, prevent acts of vandalism, and even organize tributes to the giant. The oak has a rival in Georgetown, namely the 29-meter lyran or tulip tree. A plant from the magnolia family received one of its names due to the shape of the flowers that appear on the branches at the end of May. In the USA the tree is also called "yellow poplar".
To the west of Canada's main city, in the tiny town of Arnprior, there grows a 47-meter Weymouth pine, which is considered an Ontario record holder. This tree is at least two hundred years old and is a local landmark.
In Japan, trees are not rated by height, but there is a champion there too. A huge wisteria, about 150 years old, grows in the Ashikaga Flower Park. During the flowering period, the plant attracts crowds of curious spectators who take photos and videos of the tree’s crown, which stretches over an area of two thousand square meters.
The oldest tree
Speaking of records, it is worth mentioning trees that survived world wars, drought, climate change and even some states. The tree with the oldest root system today is recognized as the spruce nicknamed Old Tikko. Researchers suggest that this plant has been living for nine and a half thousand years. Its trunk can be seen on Mount Fulufjellet in Sweden.
Spruce "Old Tikko" - the oldest tree in the world Another representative of antiquity is the intermountain bristlecone pine Methuselah. Its age is estimated to be between 4500-5000 years. Despite its advanced age and rather shabby appearance, the tree is considered alive. It is native to the Inyo National Forest in America.
