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The tallest tree in the world. The largest trees in the world The tallest trees in Russia

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There are many trees all over the planet whose parameters have been exaggerated and are very controversial. Despite this, with the help of state-of-the-art instruments, such as a laser rangefinder and falling tape measurements, the height of the largest trees has been measured. Our Big Rating magazine has prepared a list for you - the tallest trees in the world. The list describes the ten tallest trees on the planet that have remained the same for centuries. Some of these trees are so tall that they cannot even be photographed in full size. The dense canopy is also the reason these trees cannot be captured in full size.

Tree height - 112.20 meters
This tree is located in Montgomery Woods (a nature reserve in the United States). Mendocino was the tallest tree on the planet between 1996 and 2000. This huge sequoia grows next to others, but if you look at the trees from top to bottom, then this giant is much taller than its brothers, something like this looks like a teacher among the kids in the kindergarten.

Tree height - 112.56 meters
The paradox is located in the John Davison Rockefeller Forest, in Humboldt (United States) and was considered the tallest tree on the planet, for a short period from 1995 to 1996. If we compare the diameters of the trunk with the tenth number of our list, then the Paradox is significantly inferior (3.9 m and 4.19 m). And in order to find this tree, scientists needed to make remarkable efforts, because there was no photo and the exact position of this giant at that time. Among all the tallest trees, this tree is considered the most beautiful.

Tree height - 112.6 meters
Next to the ninth place on our list, another giant is growing - Rockefeller. This tree bears the name of a billionaire who became famous not only for his huge income, but also for the very respectable age to which he managed to live. The long and slender trunk of this giant is admired by all who are lucky enough to behold it. But this is not the easiest task, since few people know the exact position of the tree, this is done on purpose to save this miracle of nature from the hands of vandals. In addition, Rockefeller practically does not differ from his fellows, if you look at him from below. Until now, no one has established the exact diameter of the trunk.

Tree height - 112.62 meters
Again, the giant from Humboldt is on the list of the tallest trees in the world. Its pioneers are Paul Zinke and Al Strangerburger. This giant is similar to other sequoias that grow nearby, it is a whole ecosystem in which birds make nests, various beetles live, lichens grow and many other living organisms. A very interesting fact - Lauralyn can be easily found, its location is not classified.

Tree height - 112.63 meters
This magnificent giant is located in California. Its most accurate coordinates are Redwood National Park. To find this tree, you just need to make superhuman efforts - the giant grows very densely with two huge sequoias, but if you look from above, it is twice as tall as all nearby counterparts. This is a very ancient tree, it has been growing on the planet for more than 1.5 thousand years.

Tree height - 112.71 meters
A giant with an unusual name that belongs to the sequoias. Its opening date is 1994. From the moment of its discovery, it was considered the tallest tree on the planet, and it carried this title for just over a year. To find the National Geographic Society, you will have to visit the Redwood Creek, walk along its banks, since the exact location of the tree is unknown. The diameter of this giant is 4.39 meters.

Tree height - 113.11 meters
And again in our ranking is a tree whose location is the Humboldt National Park. It was found in 2000, and then its height reached 112.34 meters, but it continued to grow upwards. Now the height of this giant is 113.11 meters. Like many other redwoods, the exact location of the Stratospheric Giant is kept secret in order to save this living ecosystem from detractors. In addition, it will not be easy to find it anyway, since other sequoias grow densely next to it.

Tree height - 113.14 meters
The third place in our top is sequoia, the discoverers of which are Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor. The tree is located in Redwood National Park, California. This giant got his name for the dead, burnt out from the sun "up". In addition to Icarus, in the forest belt there is also a huge number of sequoias with a burnt-out "crown", so it is not so easy to intentionally find this giant. Like most of the trees on our list, Icarus is hidden from the curious in order to avoid any interference with its ecosystem.

Tree height - 114.58 meters
Again, Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor, already known to us, discovered another giant in the national park, in Redwood. The exact opening date is unknown, it is only known that it was July 2006. This giant does not differ much from the first place in our rating and its exact location, almost like all other trees on our list, is unknown.

Tree height - 115.61 meters
In the first place in our ranking of giant trees is the sequoia, the location of which is Northern California, which is called Hyperion. This is a relatively young tree, the age of Hyperion is 7-8 centuries. In terms of volume, its trunk holds 502 m³. This giant was discovered by Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor. The geographic location of the tree is Redwood National Park. Scientists believe that this giant could have been higher, but woodpeckers gouged its top. Even with a damaged top, this tree remains the tallest in the world, last measured in 2015.

Sequoia

Sequoia, also known as redwood, is one of the tallest tree species on the planet. Only “pretty fir” (the second name is Douglas fir) and Australian eucalyptus trees can compete with sequoia in terms of height, but the largest representatives of this species were destroyed. Hyperion was also subject to destruction at one time, but in 1979 Redwood became a National Park and deforestation was prohibited in it. Today there are many sequoias that exceed a hundred meters in length, but there is not a single living tree of another species that exceeds at least a hundred meters.

Although Hyperion is the tallest tree, in other parameters, such as volume, mass and age, it is inferior to another sequoia - General Sherman. In height, General Sherman reaches only 83.8 meters, but its weight is record - 1900 tons, the volume of the trunk is 1487 m³, and in terms of age, it is almost twice ahead of its closest opponents - 2.3-2.7 centuries.

The tallest tree in the world - Hyperion

Up until August 2006, the title of "tallest tree in the world" belonged to a giant 112.7-meter sequoia, nicknamed "stratospheric giant". It is located in Humboldt National Park, California. To give you some idea of ​​the massive size of this tree, let's say it's 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 across a cluster of trees in California's Redwood National Park that were taller than any they had seen before. They made preliminary measurements using professional laser equipment, and found not one or two, but three trees that were taller than the "stratospheric giant".

Hyperion - "too tall"

The height of the tree in the world, which bears the name Hyperion, reaches 115 meters. If it’s hard for you to imagine such a huge tree, then imagine Big Ben from London, its height is 96.3 meters, and it is much lower than this giant. But this giant could be even higher, but the woodpeckers managed to damage the "top" of the tree. Therefore, Hyperion began to grow more slowly upwards. When its discoverers announced their discovery, scientists led by ecologist Steve Sillet arrived on the spot, who, upon arrival in Redwood, announced his desire to measure the sequoia. He personally climbed to the top of the tree and lowered the tape from above to the ground. The moment was captured by National Geographic.

Hyperion is lucky, because in 1970, there was an active deforestation, a few tens of kilometers away. All half a month remained until the moment when the lumberjack's ax would have landed on the trunk of a tree, but then Redwood was given the status of a National Park. The logging company that worked at that time functioned literally for days, without interruptions, and harvested expensive mahogany wood, and destroyed ancient forests, without any pity. Sequoias have been growing there since the first man entered the valley. The vast array of trees from which specimens no smaller than Hyperion could grow were out of luck. They were cut down and now only 4% of all existing sequoias in the United States remain.

sequoia protection

If we take sequoia standards, then Hyperion is a very young tree that still has to grow and grow. Sillet suggests that the exact age of the tree is about 6 centuries, and that this corresponds to twenty years in terms of human life. The exact coordinates of Hyperion's location are unknown, due to avoiding the crush of tourists near a huge sequoia. This is also done due to the fact that the fragile ecosystem of the tree can be disturbed and this will damage Hyperion too much. Because, in addition to admiring the sequoia, people can take a piece of bark for themselves as a souvenir or carve something like “John and Mary were here” on an old tree.

According to Silette himself, a tree cannot, like a person, hide from journalists and there are many stories that prove to us that something very bad happens to famous trees. It is still unknown whether Hyperion is the tallest mahogany or just the tallest tree known to us. After all, as many as 96% of red trees were destroyed by lumberjacks.

Tallest tree ever measured

In the 21st century, the tallest tree in the world was measured and it was not a sequoia, but a mountain ash. 1872 - A report by state forest ranger William Ferguson describes a fallen and scorched mountain ash (the second name is the regal eucalyptus), the height of which before the fall was 132 meters. At the same time, several trees were recorded that reached 140 meters in height. But, unfortunately, it is impossible to verify this information: each of these trees was cut down, since mountain ash is an important building material for Australians.

The tallest eucalyptus was in Tasmania. Its height reaches one hundred meters, and it bears the majestic name "Centurion". This eucalyptus bears the title of the tallest living deciduous tree on the planet. It was discovered back in 2008, using a laser that was installed on an airplane. The original goal was to measure terrain height differences, forest heights, and measure forest biomass.

Trees play an important role in human life - they can be a source of food, building material, energy and other necessary things, and they are also the "lungs" of our planet. For this reason, they are under the close attention and protection of ecologists - this is especially true for the highest representatives of the plant world, because the age of each of them is at least several hundred years. Interestingly, the tallest tree in the world and its brethren belong to the sequoia species (Sequoia sempervirens) and grow in only one place in North America.

In ancient Greek mythology, the name Hyperion was borne by one of the titans, and the literal translation of the name means "very high"

The tallest tree at the moment is considered a sequoia named Hyperion. It grows in southern California in the Redwoods National Park, height - 115.61 m, trunk diameter - about 4.84 m, and the age is at least 800 years old. True, after the top of Hyperion was damaged by birds, he stopped growing, and may soon lose the title to his brothers.

Trees higher than Hyperion are known in history. So, the report of the Australian inspector of state forests in 1872 tells about a fallen and burned tree, it had more than 150 m in height. The tree belonged to the species Eucalyptus regnans, which means regal eucalyptus.

Almost all giant trees have their own names.

Until August 25, 2006, another representative of the redwood genus named Helios, which also grows in Redwoods, was considered the tallest tree on Earth. He lost his status after park officials discovered a tree named Hyperion on the opposite side of a tributary of the Redwood Creek, but there is hope that he can bring it back. Unlike its taller brother, Helios continues to grow, and a few years ago its height was 114.58 m.

The tree got its name in honor of the legendary mythical hero due to the fact that it grows at a slight slope.

Closes the top three is another sequoia from the same California Redwoods National Park named Icarus. It was discovered on July 1, 2006, the height of the specimen is 113.14 m, the diameter of the trunk is 3.78 m.

There are only 30 groves left in the world where sequoias grow. This is a rare species, and environmentalists are trying to support it - grow it specially in British Columbia (Canada) and carefully protect nature reserves with sequoias.

In ten years, the tree grows by almost 1 cm.

This sequoia was found in 2000 (location - California, Humboldt National Park) and for several years was considered the leader in height among all plants in the world, until foresters and researchers discovered Icarus, Helios and Hyperion. The giant of the Stratosphere also continues to grow - if in 2000 its height was 112.34 m, and in 2010 it was already 113.11 m.

The tree is named after the American Geographical Society

A representative of Sequoia sempervirens with such an original name also grows in California's Redwoods Park on the banks of the Redwood Creek River, its height is 112.71 m, trunk girth is 4.39 m. Until 1995, the National Geographic Society was considered the leader among giants, but today it occupies only fifth place in the ranking.

TOP 10 tallest trees in the world on video

The exact location of the trees discussed above is carefully hidden from the general public - scientists are worried that a large influx of tourists to these giants will provoke soil compaction and damage to the branched root system of the sequoia. This decision is correct, because the tallest trees on the planet are rare specimens of the plant world, therefore, they need protection and protection.

Various studies show that coniferous trees are the tallest today. 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, it is likely that new technologies will help make new botanical discoveries.

For example, the plant, which is now considered the tallest in the world, was 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.

The tallest tree in the world

Today, the tallest tree in the world is the Hyperion sequoia, which grows in California. The trunk of this plant has a diameter of 4.85 meters. The tree has grown to 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 his 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 the GPS, were not released to the public. The tree is known to be located in one of the remote areas of the Redwood State Reserve in the United States.


In the park where the giant tree is located, there are also several very tall sequoia specimens. These include Helios, whose height is 114.5 meters. He held the title of absolute giant among his brethren 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. 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 USA.

Record holders in Russia

Siberian fir is recognized as the record holder for height in Russia. But in the country with the largest forest area, there is no official bearer of the title of botanical giant. There are many giant specimens of firs in the 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 a giant rises, not inferior to the American Hyperion. Speaking of sequoias, an impressive representative of this species grows in the 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 also has some of the oldest trees in Russia. Yews and some types of junipers, according to preliminary estimates of researchers, took root in the highlands of the 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 compactly fit into rocky crevices, not being afraid of cliffs and steep mountain slopes. A height equal to 20 - 25 meters for such trees is evidence of an age of several thousand years. Volunteers have already registered at least a dozen such trees in Crimea.

The widest tree

Baobab is a tree whose width exceeds that of all competitors. The diameter of the trunk in representatives of this species can reach ten meters. The most powerful fat man today is a tree, which is called nothing more than the "Big Baobab". The girth of its base is 47 meters. The "Big Baobab" is located at the Van Heerden ranch in the province of Limpopo.


Ennobling the territory, the owners noticed a cavity in the trunk of a huge tree, they cleaned it and arranged a bar in the resulting space. The Van Heerdens named their establishment The Baobab Bar. The diameter of the tree trunk is 10.6 meters. Studies have shown that the age of this baobab is more than 6 thousand years, but the most interesting thing is that it continues to grow and bloom every spring.

The tallest tree in Africa

Speaking of baobabs, it is impossible not to mention that in their homeland there are also many trees - giants. The tallest tree in Africa is on Mount Kilimanjaro. It comes from the genus entandrophragms. The family of these plants settled in Tropical Africa and is not found anywhere else, this species is endangered. The highest entandrophragma 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, finally, information appeared that the average height of entandrophragms in this area is 70-80 meters.

Record holders of the past

Speaking of the tallest trees in the world, one 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 find in 1872. According to Fergusson, at the time of its discovery, the eucalyptus had a height of 132.5 meters, but according to indirect evidence, the forester concluded that earlier the crown of the tree was 20 meters higher. Unfortunately, it is no longer possible to verify this data. Eucalyptus was cut down and sawn into pieces for later use as building material.


Another famous giant of the past is the Douglas yew from the Lynn Valley in British Columbia. According to reports in 1902, the tree grew to 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 California sequoia. In 1873, foresters reported the height of this tree, which was 112 meters.

The tallest tree in Australia 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 Tasmania. At the time of death, the tree had a height of more than 79 meters. In 2008, a tree was found in the same area, which is now considered the main giant of Australia. The royal eucalyptus, 99.6 meters high, received the Roman name Centurion.

urban giants

It is unlikely that anyone will be surprised by the fact that the tallest and oldest trees are hidden from people in the thicket of a forest, a nature reserve or in the mountains. In cities, plants - giants simply cannot survive. Each settlement has its own giant, but the parameters of such plants are usually more modest than those of their wild counterparts.

The Moscow champion in height among trees is the most beautiful magnolia kobus, which grows on the territory of the Botanical Garden next to the Moscow City complex. According to gardeners, it is this plant that is the tallest in the capital of Russia. There are many relict trees on the territory of the botanical garden, which are listed in the Red Book. Most of the vegetation, which is presented in this interesting place, you will not see anywhere else in Moscow.


The American metropolitan area also has a champion - a 32-meter white oak growing on Northampton Street. It is interesting that the giant is protected by the forces of local residents, as a city property. Volunteers take care of the crown of the tree, prevent acts of vandalism, and even celebrate 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 US, the tree is also called "yellow poplar".


To the west of Canada's main city, in the tiny town of Arnprior, grows a 47-meter Weymouth pine, which is considered the record holder of Ontario. This tree is at least two hundred years old and is a local landmark.

In Japan, trees are not judged by height, but there is a champion there too. A huge wisteria that is about 150 years old grows in Ashikaga Flower Park. During the flowering period, the plant attracts crowds of curious spectators who take photos and videos of the crown of the tree, spread over an area of ​​​​2 thousand square meters.

The oldest tree

Speaking of records, it is worth mentioning the trees that have survived world wars, drought, climate change, and even some states. The tree with the oldest root system is today recognized as a 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 spiny intermountain 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 grows in the Inyo National Forest in America.

There are many tall trees around the world whose extraordinary height has been exaggerated and debatable. However, with the help of the latest measurement tools, such as laser rangefinders and tape fall measurements, it was possible to find out the true height of giant trees. Here ten tallest trees in the world, which remain the same as the world changes around them.

Almost all of the presented trees are so tall that it is simply impossible to photograph them completely. Dense vegetation also interferes with this.

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 world's tallest tree from 1996 to 2000. Other sequoias grow near Mendocino, but if you look at them from above, the giant towers over his fellows in the same way that Arnold Schwarzenegger towers over the kids in the movie Kindergarten Cop.

Height - 112.56 m.

The tree, located in the forest of John Davison Rockefeller in Humboldt (USA), was considered the tallest tree on the planet until number ten in our rating, that is, from 1995 to 1996. In terms of trunk diameter, it is inferior to Mendocino (3.9 meters versus 4.19 meters). And it was very difficult for researchers and just curious to find it, since there were no photographs or coordinates of the Paradox at that time. Of all the giant trees known today, the Paradox stands out for its beauty.

Height - 112.6 m.

Neighbor of Paradox, also native to California's Humboldt Redwood National Park and the eighth longest tree on Earth. Named after the billionaire, famous not only for his fortune, but also for the number of years he lived. The long, slender "body" of Rockefeller 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’s not so easy to distinguish Rockefeller from other sequoias from below. Its trunk diameter has not yet been measured.

Height - 112.62 m.

And again, the “resident” of Humboldt Park got into the top 10 giant trees. It was discovered by Paul Zinke and Al Strangenburger. Like other redwoods, Lauralin is a whole ecosystem, birds nest in it, insects live, lichens and other representatives of the local flora sprout. It is noteworthy that the location of Lauralin is not hidden from the public.

Height - 112.63 m.

One of the tallest trees grows in California's Redwood National Park. Searching for Orion is an almost impossible task because the tree giant sits right next to two other giant sequoias, although it is twice their size when viewed from a height. Orion is about 1500 years old.

Height - 112.71 m.

A giant with a long name, belonging to the redwoods, 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 Redwood Creek, but its exact location is kept secret. In terms of trunk diameter, it is larger than Mendocino and Paradox (4.39 meters).

Altitude at the time of discovery - 112.34 m

This worthy representative of the tallest trees was found in 2000 on the territory of the Humboldt National Park. Then the tree was 112.34 meters high, but continues to grow. In 2010, it reached a height of 113.11 meters. Like all the other numbers on our hit parade, the Stratospheric Giant belongs to the redwoods and is fenced in by many trees that are almost as tall. The tree's exact location is being hidden to prevent it from being damaged by overly active citizens.

Height - 113.14 m.

In third place on the longest tree chart is the redwood discovered by Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor in Redwood Park, California. Icarus got his name for the dead, sun-bleached "crown". However, there are enough other trees in Redwood, with dead tops, so it will be intentionally difficult to find Icarus, and the public is not told exactly where he is.

Height - 114.58 m.

Another tallest sequoia tree found in the Redwood park area by Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor in July 2006. It is not much shorter than the competitor, which occupies the first line of the rating.

1. Hyperion - 115.61 m

Leading the top 10 tallest trees in the world is a sequoia from Northern California, bearing the proud name of Hyperion. The volume of its trunk is 502 m³, and its age is estimated at 700-800 years. Tireless naturalists Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor have discovered a tree in Redwood National Park and believe that Hyperion's height could have been higher if not for woodpeckers. They damaged the trunk of a titanic tree at its very top. The last measurement of Hyperion was carried out in 2015.

Video version

Sequoias, also known as redwoods, 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 ruthlessly cut. By the way, the same fate awaited Hyperion, but fortunately for him, the Redwood Valley in the 70s of the last century became the Redwood National Park and cutting down trees was prohibited there. There are currently hundreds of sequoias exceeding 100 m in height and there are no living trees of other species exceeding this height.

Although Hyperion is unsurpassed in terms of trunk length, it is inferior in volume, mass and age to a sequoia called General Sherman. The height of General Sherman is modest, compared to other representatives of the rating of the highest 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

Up 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's 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 across a cluster of trees in California's Redwood National Park that were taller than any 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 height of the tallest tree, named Hyperion, is 115 meters.. 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 pretty much 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 down Hyperion's upward movement.

When Atkins and Taylor announced their discovery, a team of scientists led by environmentalist Steve Sillett of Humboldt State University arrived at the park to measure the find.

This was done in the most precise 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, just a few hundred kilometers from it, there was a clear felling of trees. About two weeks before a man with a saw would approach Hyperion, Redwood Valley had become Redwood National Park. Lumber companies feared this would happen and worked 24/7 harvesting valuable mahogany and ruthlessly destroying old growth forests that were there long before humans entered the valley. Most redwoods, from which the tallest trees grow, were less fortunate than Hyperion. To date, only 4% of mahogany forests have survived in America.

By redwood standards, Hyperion is quite young and still growing. Sillett believes that the tree is 'only' 600 years old, which is about 20 years in human terms.

Hyperion's exact location is kept secret by 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 chip off part of the bark “for memory” or scratch something on it in the style of “Jack and Sally were here.”

As Sillett put it, trees can't outrun the paparazzi like people do, and history teaches us that bad things happen to trees that become too popular.

It is not at all clear whether Hyperion is the tallest of the redwoods or simply the largest sequoia known to us. After all, 96% of redwood forests have become victims of lumberjacks.

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 inspector of state forests, William Ferguson, mentions a fallen and scorched eucalyptus regal (aka Eucalyptus regnans, aka mountain ash), which during his lifetime had height 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.

The tallest living eucalyptus trees can be found in Tasmania. The height of the eucalyptus bearing the proud nickname "Centurion" is about 100 meters. It is the tallest living deciduous tree on earth. . It was discovered in October 2008 by an aircraft-mounted laser, which measured terrain elevation, forest height and forest biomass.

How tall can a tree be

In an article entitled "An investigation into the limits of maximum tree growth," Jonathan Amos of the BBC's science department 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.

There are a very large number of tall trees on Earth. Trees grow in different parts of the world, which are called the highest on the planet. In some cases, the dimensions are exaggerated, but there are also trees that amaze the imagination with their dimensions. With the advent of the latest height measurement tools, there is more reliable information about the true size of the largest trees in the world.

Thanks to modern technology, people have been able to measure the true height of these colossi of the plant world. Laser-based rangefinders, falling tape meters, etc. were used for the measurement. The researchers managed to form the ten tallest trees in the world, which are so huge that you can only take a “full-length” photo of them by rising to a certain height. Many of these giants continue to grow.

The tallest tree in the world

The location of many trees remains a secret, therefore, it is very difficult to find their photo. 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 out of competition. Despite the relatively small height (83.8 m), the General has a record mass of 1.9 thousand tons with a barrel volume of phenomenal 1.5 thousand square meters. Scientists are sure that the sequoia General Sherman is at least 2.7 thousand years old.

Mendocino takes tenth position

Mendocino is one of America's largest trees.

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. Not far from the giant, there are a lot of sequoias, but, compared to Mendocino, they look like a kindergarten teacher surrounded by children.

Paradox is ninth on the list


Paradox, height 112.5 meters

A 112.5 m high tree 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 somewhat smaller than that of Mendocino (4.19 m). Sequoia was discovered by accident, the researchers who saw the tree for the first time were amazed by its beauty. Paradox rises majestically above the forest, under its dense crown a company of soldiers can hide in the shade.

Rockefeller - occupies the eighth position in the ranking


Rockefeller occupies the 8th position in the rating

Another giant tree associated with the famous billionaire. Rockefeller is a 112.6 m tall sequoia located relatively close to Paradox in the Humbold Redwood National Forest. The name in honor of the billionaire is symbolic - the tree is very old, like an entrepreneur respected in the USA.

Sequoia is distinguished by its height, slenderness and density of the crown. Those who were lucky enough to see Rockefeller remembered him for a lifetime. By the way, it is not so easy to see a tree - the coordinates of all the colossi of the plant world are classified: this is one of the most effective ways to protect them from vandals. If a person walks through the park, he simply will not understand that there is a giant in front of him. The thickness of the trunk of the famous sequoia is not much different from the surrounding counterparts.

Lauralyn - is in the seventh position of the top


Southern Giant Lauralyn

Sequoia with a 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 by the incredible beauty of the tree, which in fact is a complete ecological system. Starting from the roots and ending with the crown, Lauralin is the habitat of a wide variety of living creatures. Hares live at its foot, squirrels live in hollows on the middle floors, birds nest on the branches. In addition, the Lauralina ecosystem includes many varieties of lichens and insects.

This giant sequoia is not hidden from the public: visiting Humboldt Park, be sure to come to see the amazing tree.

Orion - a gigantic sequoia in sixth place


Orion - the height of the tree is 112.63 meters

In the heart of the Redwood National Reserve (California, USA) grows a giant 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 see the huge difference between sequoias only from a considerable height. Orion is one of the 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 is 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 at its height: it seemed to the researchers that the tree touches the clouds with its branches. Hence the name of the vegetable colossus.

The stratospheric giant was found in 2000 in the Humboldt National Park - this nature reserve is famous for record-breaking sequoias.

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 added in growth: its height was 113.11 m. The tree is surrounded by large brothers and you can only understand how huge it is from a height. The coordinates of the Stratospheric giant are hidden: this is how scientists try to protect the sequoia from vandalism.

Ikar took the third position in the ranking

Icarus reaches 113.4 meters

Finally, we got to the top three. The famous sequoia Icarus "rose" to the third step of the rating. The tree was found by researchers M. Taylor and K. Atkins, who wandered around California's Redwood Park for several days.

Biologists have noticed that the top of the sequoia is dry, as if it had burned out in the sun. Atkins remembered 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. Due to solar activity, many sequoias in the reserve have dead tops. Actually, from English "Redwood" is translated "Red Forest".

Finding Icarus on your own is problematic, and its coordinates are carefully classified.

Helios is the second in the rating 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, the researchers managed to find another giant sequoia. It was a tree with a height of 114.58 m. Shocked, Taylor and Atkins named the sequoia Helios in honor of the ancient Greek god of the 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 - the record holder among all the tallest trees on the planet

So, we got to the tallest tree in the world. This is a unique Hyperion sequoia that grows in the same Redwood Park. Surprisingly, the restless K. Atkins and M. Taylor discovered Hyperion. After measuring the tree, it became clear - this incredible giant is the 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 sure that the Hyperion sequoia could have reached even higher heights, but the tree was attacked by woodpeckers. A huge number of birds settled in the branches of a 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 the gigantic size of the tree, its leaves reach only 2 cm in length, and the root in the ground reaches only half a meter!

Sequoia is the tallest tree in the world

Readers have already understood that the tallest tree in the world is the sequoia. This breed 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 atrocities of lumberjacks in the Redwood National Park and felling redwoods in this area was strictly prohibited. Black lumberjacks were subjected to harsh sanctions, fined and even put in jail.

The measures worked: in our time, a lot of gigantic sequoias grow in the Red Forest. At the last count of scientists, 100 trees grow in Redwood with a height of more than 100 meters. All 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 higher, but biologists K. Atkins and M. Taylor proved that this is far from the case. Wandering through California's Redwood Park, they discovered a group of giant trees, among which was an incredible colossus that looked like a skyscraper. After measurements with laser equipment, it turned out that the tree found was almost a meter higher 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 taller than London's Big Ben.

The measurement of Hyperion was carried out by environmentalist Steve Sillett, seconded to Redwood Park by the National University. Humboldt. Sillett, using climbing equipment, climbed to the top of the sequoia and lowered the tape from there. Television company NG 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 were operating with might and main. Giant pines fell one after another, they were sawn 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 brought down, the US government declared Redwood a park of national importance.

The sawmills knew full well that Redwood was going to be recognized as a park, so they worked tirelessly with chainsaws. Sequoia wood is one of the most valuable in the woodworking industry, companies received hundreds of thousands of dollars for one sawn giant.

Trees, many of which were hundreds of years old, were destroyed on an industrial scale. People could well destroy one of the undoubted treasures of mankind - the redwood forest.

Unfortunately, hundreds and even thousands of trees were not so lucky as Hyperion. Currently, in the United States, redwood forests account for only 4% of all green areas.

Hyperion is young enough for a plant of its kind: this tree has not yet completed its growth. 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, this is a young tree. The rangers of Redwood Park kept the coordinates of the giant strictly classified. American scientists hope that the young tree will continue to grow, setting incredible new records.

In addition, hiking to Hyperion will certainly lead to the disruption of the Redwood Sequoia forest ecosystem. The tree itself will also suffer: for sure, among tourists there will be lovers to put a “commemorative” inscription on the tree or break off a piece of bark.

According to Sillett, redwoods are a kind of "movie stars", but they can't get away from the paparazzi like their human counterparts. History has already shown that the popularity of giant sequoias leads to sad consequences.

History of Giant Tree Measurements

It is impossible to tell if Hyperion is the tallest tree in the last 100-200 years. People began to be interested in this topic relatively recently and no data has been preserved. In addition, 96% of redwoods are destroyed by logging companies.

In 1872, William Ferguson, an official of the Australian State Forestry Inspectorate, informed the authorities about the discovery of a fallen Eucalyptus regnans (the royal eucalyptus, the closest relative of the familiar mountain ash). The tree was enormous. Arriving scientists measured and reported that the length of the eucalyptus is 132 meters.

After that, several more eucalyptus trees up to 140 meters high were found in Australia. Unfortunately, there is no way to confirm these data: gigantic trees were cut down by lumberjacks.

Eucalyptus wood turned out to be almost the only building material for Australian settlers.

Today, there are almost no eucalyptus trees left in Australia, but they are found in Tasmania. For example, the famous eucalyptus Centurion is 100 meters high. The uniqueness of the Centurion is that it is the highest deciduous tree on our planet. 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 an article in one of the authoritative scientific publications on the maximum growth of trees. 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 nutrient composition obtained from the soil to the crown, its growth will stop.

Amos's theory has not yet found practical confirmation: there is not a single tree in the world 130 meters high.