15 Tallest Trees in the World

There was a time when the Earth was covered with lush green vegetation. Sadly today the landscape is strikingly different, with garish, colorless skyscrapers crowding the horizon. In the times of jumbo jets, astonishing gravity-defying towers we have forgotten the old world charm of our angels, our carbon-absorbing trees. Let’s look at some of these tallest angels on the Earth and admire their sheer immensity.

15) H. beccariana:

The tallest Hopea beccariana or H. beccariana tree, named the “Big Tree” can be located in the forest at the northern top of the island near Ao Kian beach in Ko Yao Noi (municipality of Ko Yao), Thailand. The Big Tree measures 24.20m in girth, at a height of 1.30 m. Its height is exactly 64.20 m measured with laser with sine method. Hopea Beccariana is on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (Critically Endangered). The tree is native to Indonesia (Sumatra), Malaysia and Thailand.

 

14) P. excelsa:

P excelsa or Pterygota excelsa is found close to the Piedras Blancas National Park in La Gamba (province of Puntarenas), Costa Rica. Measured by Bart Bouricius, it is the tallest accurately measured tree of any species in Latin America. The girth of the tree has been measured at a height of 1.37 m, is 4.50 m and the height has been measured in 2016 through laser with sine method at 64.50m.

13) Tasmanian blue gum:

 

The most widely cultivated tree in Australia, Eucalyptus globulus or Tasmanian Blue gum or blue gum forms tall, open forests, growing in monospecific stands or with other species of eucalypt. There is a contested tree Neeminah Loggorale Meena – Australia, Tasmania as the highest Tasmanian blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus Labill.) 90.7 m in Height and with a diameter of 3.88 m and a girth of 12.2 m. The more well-known tallest tree is exactly 68 m high, located in Río Landro, Viveiro, Spain.

12) Karri:

 

A eucalypt native to the wetter regions of southwestern Western Australia, Eucalyptus diversicolor or Karri tree or the Karri Knight is one of the tallest hardwood flowering plants in the world. The tallest tree stands at 73m in height and 5.71m in girth measured at a height of 1.3m. Unlike many other eucalyptus varieties, this is a fire-sensitive species and gets killed by severe fires. It is also an important tree for honey production.

11) Lawson’s cypress:

Chamaecyparis lawsoniana or Lawson’s cypress or Port Orford cedar is a large evergreen tree native to Oregon and north western California. The tallest known Lawson’s cypress is located in the park in Jedidiah Smith Redwoods State Park (Del Norte County). The girth of the tree, measured at a height of 1.37 m, is 8.80 m and its height is exactly 81.08 m. The largest tree in girth in this species is along Elk Creek in Powers (Coos County) with the girth of the tree, measured at a height of 1.37 m at 11.46 m and a height of 69.80 m.

10) E. excelsum:

 

The tallest tree in Africa, Entandrophragma excelsum or E. excelsum has been recorded at a height of 81.5m in a gorge south of Kilimanjaro National Park, Barangata, Tanzania. It occurs in east and eastern central Africa in areas ofupland semi-deciduous forest. It is native to the Congo, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

9) Ponderosa Pine:

The mostly widely distributed Pine tree species in North America, Pinus ponderosa or Ponderosa Pine trees is not a flowering tree. The tallest recorded specimen is in the Rogue River–Siskiyou National Forest in Oregon measured with a laser to be 81.79 m high. It can have a diameter at breast height up to 5.90m. It can have widely ranging subspecies like the Pacific, Columbia, Rocky Mountains, South Western and Central High Plains, depending on the location of the trees with varying characteristics.

8) Western hemlock:

Native to the west coast of North America, with its northwestern limit on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, and its southeastern limit in northern Sonoma County, California, Tsuga heterophylla or Western hemlock is an evergreen coniferous spruce tree. These have been identified as Climax species in the Pacific Coast ranges, stretching from Alaska to Mexico. The tallest of the Western hemlocks recorded is 83.34m in height, 6.05 m in girth measured at the height of 1.37m situated in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park in Orick (Humboldt County), California.

7) Sugar Pine:

 

Known as the tallest and the largest of pine trees, Pinus lambertiana or Sugar pine also has the largest cones among all conifers. Predominantly native to the Pacific Coast of North America, from Oregon to Baja California, the Sugar pine trees can measure up to 83m in height. The tallest recorded tree stood at 83.45m in Yosemite National Park.

6) Yellow meranti:

Majorly located in Borneo, Peninsular Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, Shorea faguetiana or Yellow meranti or Yellow serraya or Meranti kuning is the tallest documented tropical angiosperm. The tallest tree has been found in the Maliau Basin Conservation Area, Malaysia’s last remaining untouched wilderness, measuring 89.50m. This tree species has been a victim of extensive logging for palm oil and today features in the IUCN endangered species list.

5) Sitka spruce:

 

The largest species of spruce trees, Picea sitchensis or Sitka spruce trees are the third largest conifer species, lagging behind the Coast Redwood and Douglas fir. Some trees can still be found with height of around 90m. The Caramanh Giant, measuring 96m in height is the tallest tree in Canada. It is associated with temperate rainforests like west coast of North America. Their diameter at base height can reach up to 6m.

4) Giant sequoia:

 

Sequoiadendron giganteum or Giant Sequoia is definitely one of the most loved and commercially forested trees. It is abundantly found in groves on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, USA, dotted with several parks reserved for these trees. The tallest tree can go up to 95.8 m and are found especially in the Giant Sequoia National Monument. It is officially the largest living thing in volume in the world. Girth at ground has been measured to be as high as 34.4 m as well. Some of the most well-known Sequoia giants are General Sherman (83.8m), Boole (81.9m), King Arthur (82.4m) etc

3) Mountain ash:

 

Native to the Tasmania and Victoria region of South Eastern Australia, Eucalyptus regnans or Mountain ash trees are the tallest flowering plants. Its tallest specimen is the Centurion measuring 99.60m in height. It is an evergreen tree variety that grows in temperate areas receiving 1200mm rainfall. It is the tallest of the eucalypts, growing to 70–114.4 m and is marked with a straight, grey trunk and a smooth eucalyptus bark. The trunk can reach a diameter at breast height (dbh) of 2.5 meters and eventually develops a large buttress up to 20m.

 2) Coast Douglas fir:

Prevalent in the North Western American region, Pseudotsuga menziesii or Coast Douglas fir is an evergreen conifer tree species. The tallest tree is the Doerner Fir measuring 99.76m in height. They tend to have an average lifespan varying between 500 and 1000 years. These trees can have diameters up to 13.3m like the Red Creek Tree in Canada. The smaller varieties are used extensively for timber production, having the largest yield in North America. Some tall trees are Red Creek tree (73.80m) and National Forest Service (69.80m).

1) Coast redwood:

Tallest tree on the earth as per records is Hyperion with an estimated height of 115.72 m.  Sequoia sempervirens or Coast Redwoods are the tallest trees found in the world. It is majorly concentrated in the California region of the American Pacific North west coast and has several reserved forests for its preservation. Due to extensive logging and commercial exploitation these trees today feature in the IUCN endangered list. Some of the tallest trees in the world belong to this species including Hyperion, Helios (111.71m), and Rockefeller Tree (99m) etc. The trees can measure up to 8.9m in diameter at breast height (dbh). With a lifespan of almost 2000 years, these are some of the oldest trees on the Earth.

 

Let’s celebrate the beauty and wonder of Nature!

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