The tallest tree in the world: What is it called and where is it located. The most-most trees in the world

Looking at the environment around us, at the beauty that nature gives, at the trees that seem huge to us, you involuntarily ask the question: how old are the trees that we meet every day on our way to work? But that tree, which seems to be the largest among all, is just a small bush compared to the largest tree in the world. Not everyone has seen and knows that one tree that has incredible dimensions. So what's the best a big tree in the world?

Some historical facts

The name of the giant and only living creature of this size is sequoiadendron. Sequoia is also called sequoia for a reason. By appearance this tree resembles a mammoth with its huge size, and the hanging branches look like its tusks. For the first time in history, mention of sequoia appeared in 1853. Most often, these trees were found in western California, on the slope of the Sierra Nevada. The giant sequoiadendron amazed the people of the Old World, and representatives of this plant were given the names of great people. Liar Lindley, the first known botanist, was the first to describe the sequoia and named it after the English Duke of Wellington, who became a hero at the Battle of Waterloo. The Americans, having discovered another representative of the sequoia family, gave him the name George Washington in honor of the first president of the United States of America. After which, in 1939, the family giant trees got its name - sequoiadendron, which is used to this day.

Giant of our time

The largest tree in the world, the sequoiadendron, is currently located in the place where it was first discovered: in California. Now a national park with the same name “Sequoia” has been created there on the mountain peaks of the Sierra Nevada. The largest tree in the world, whose name is General Sherman, is named after the commander and politician William Tecumseh Sherman. He gained his fame during the Civil War of 1861-1865. He was called a talented general, as he possessed tactics of attacking the enemy, which was beyond the control of anyone. The general is also notorious for his tactics called “scorched earth.”

Tree dimensions

The height of the largest tree in the world is more than eighty-three meters. The circumference of the trunk is twenty-four meters, and the crown is more than thirty-three.

The forest in which this giant grows is called the Giant Forest. In addition, other sequoias grow there, but much smaller in size. This forest was first discovered by explorer John Muir in the nineteenth century. It was he who gave it this name. The part of the national park in which huge trees grow is called the Giant Forest to this day.

Tourists who come to California specifically to see the largest tree in the world describe its bark as rock-like. red-orange color, the top of which cannot be seen. When photographed next to the General Sherman tree, people look like tiny ants.

General Sherman's age

The question regarding the age of the legendary plant was controversial until recently. For a long time it was believed that the largest tree in the world is more than three thousand years old. But recently, experts, after conducting a series of studies, officially stated that the age of the legendary sequoiadendron is two and a half thousand years. It’s scary to imagine what this mighty tree could endure in order to grow to such stunning sizes. It is very difficult for a tree of this size to grow, and such giants die mainly not from old age, but because of the size of the branches, which are difficult for them to hold. The General Sherman tree also suffered losses in 2006. The largest and heaviest branch fell off, the diameter of which was two meters and the length was over thirty meters. When the branch fell, the fence and the road leading to the living attraction were destroyed. But even after such a loss, General Sherman’s tree did not cease to be considered the largest tree in the world.

In terms of size, General Sherman is the largest plant, but surprisingly not the oldest. The oldest tree is California pine, which was four and a half thousand years old. But unfortunately, it has not survived to this day, since it was cut down in 1965 unknown people. In the same year, trees were cut down that were as old as three thousand years. There is an opinion that there are still centenarians left on Earth, whose age is about five thousand years.

Tree growth

Even though the giant sequoiadendron is already huge, it continues to grow. Once a year, specialists take measurements, and it can be noted that the tree grows by one and a half centimeters every year.

In general, mature trees of the sequoiadendron species reach a height of one hundred meters, and a trunk diameter of up to twelve meters.

National Park and his workers made sure that all people could see the legendary giant and take a photo of the largest tree in the world. A special road has been built for people with disabilities so that they can see the tree as closely as possible.

There is also a tree tunnel in a national park in California that attracts a lot of attention from tourists. This tunnel is made from a redwood tree that fell in 1937. Since there was no way to move or remove the tree, employees were forced to make a tunnel leading to the park, since fallen tree lay right at the entrance to the living attractions area.

In addition, the park has the peak of Moro Rock, which offers an incredible view of the entire “forest of giants.”

But unfortunately, all the giants and long-livers of the national park may disappear from the face of the Earth. This threat is related to the climate in California. The drought, which has been going on for several years, threatens all plants, including the largest tree in the world - the sequoiadendron. No matter how powerful the redwood trees are, they cannot resist fires. Also, due to the dryness, new trees do not have the opportunity to appear. The park staff are trying in every way to maintain the beneficial life of the legendary plants.

There are many tall trees around the world whose extraordinary height has been exaggerated and disputed. However, with the help the latest tools measurements 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 world, which remain unchanged while the world changes around them.

Almost all of the trees presented are so tall that it is simply impossible to photograph them in full. Dense vegetation also prevents this from happening.

The height of the tree is 112.20 m.

Located in Montgomery Woods ( nature reserve in the USA), Mendocino held the title of the world's tallest tree from 1996 to 2000. There are other redwood trees growing near Mendocino, but when you look at them from above, the giant towers over its fellows the same way Arnold Schwarzenegger towers over the kids in the movie Kindergarten Cop.

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 number ten in our ranking, 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 simply curious people to find it, since there were no photographs or coordinates of Paradox at that time. Of all the giant trees known to date, Paradox stands out for its beauty.

Height - 112.6 m.

A 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 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 (this is easier than protecting them from vandal tourists around the clock), and from below it is not so easy to distinguish Rockefeller from other sequoias. Its trunk diameter has not yet been measured.

Height - 112.62 m.

Once again, a “resident” of Humboldt Park made it into the top 10 giant trees. It was discovered by Paul Zinke and Al Strangenburger. Like other sequoias, Lauralin is an entire ecosystem, with birds nesting, insects living in it, lichen and other representatives of the local flora sprouting. 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 Finding Orion is a nearly impossible task because the tree giant is located right next to two other giant sequoias, although it is twice their size when viewed from above. Orion is about 1500 years old.

Height - 112.71 m.

Giant with long name, belonging to the redwoods, was discovered in 1994. At that time, it 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 being kept secret. In terms of trunk diameter, it is larger than Mendocino and Paradox (4.39 meters).

Height at the time of discovery - 112.34 m

This worthy representative of the tallest trees was found in 2000 on the territory National Park Humboldt. At that time 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 redwoods and is blocked by many trees that are almost as tall. The exact location of the tree is hidden to prevent it from being damaged by overly active citizens.

Height - 113.14 m.

Coming in third on the list of longest trees is a sequoia discovered by Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor in Redwood Park, California. Icarus got its name from its dead, sun-bleached “top of the head.” However, there are plenty of other trees in the Redwoods with dead tops, so it will be deliberately difficult to find Icarus, and the public is not told where exactly he is.

Height - 114.58 m.

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

1. Hyperion – 115.61 m

Tops the top 10 tallest trees in the world. The volume of its trunk is 502 m³, and its age is estimated at 700-800 years. Tireless naturalists Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor discovered the tree in Redwood National Park and believe Hyperion might have been taller if not for woodpeckers. They damaged the trunk of the titanic tree at its very top. Hyperion was last measured in 2015.

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Sequoias, also known as redwood trees, are the most... tall view trees on Earth. Representatives of the species “pretty fir” (aka Douglas fir) and eucalyptus in Australia could compete with them, but the largest of these trees were mercilessly cut down. By the way, the same fate awaited Hyperion, but fortunately for him, the Redwood Valley became Redwood National Park in the 70s of the last century and cutting down trees there was prohibited. There are currently hundreds of sequoias exceeding 100 m in height and no living trees of other species exceeding this height.

Although Hyperion is unsurpassed in trunk length, it is inferior in volume, weight and age to the redwood tree called General Sherman. The height of General Sherman is modest compared to other representatives of the tallest trees rating - 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.

Tallest tree in the world - Hyperion

Until August 2006, the title " the most tall tree in the world" belonged to a giant 112.7-meter sequoia nicknamed the "stratospheric giant." It is located in Humboldt National Park in California. To give you some idea of ​​the massive size of this tree, 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, came across a group of trees in Redwood National Park in California that were taller than any they had seen before. They took 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, consider this: Big Ben in London is 96.3m tall, making it significantly shorter than this tree.

This gigantic redwood tree (sequoia) would have been even taller if not for the woodpeckers that damaged the very top of the trunk. This slowed Hyperion's upward progress.

When Atkins and Taylor announced their discovery, a team of scientists led by ecologist Steve Sillett of state university named after Humboldt arrived in the park to measure the find.

This was done in the most precise manner: 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 clear felling trees. About two weeks before a man with a saw would approach Hyperion, Redwood Valley became Redwood National Park. Logging companies feared this would happen and worked 24/7 to harvest valuable wood redwood trees and mercilessly destroying the old growth forests that were there long before humans entered the valley. Most redwoods, from which the tallest trees grow, are less fortunate than Hyperion. To date, only 4% of America's redwood forests remain.

By mahogany standards, Hyperion is quite young and still growing. Sillett believes that the tree is “only” 600 years old, which is about 20 years by human standards.

Hyperion's exact location is kept secret by park rangers to avoid 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 “as a keepsake” or scratch something on it in the style of “Jack and Sally were here.”

As Sillett puts it, trees can't outrun the paparazzi like humans, 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 redwood tree or simply the largest sequoia known to us. After all, 96% of redwood forests fell victim to loggers.

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, a report by Australian State Forests Superintendent William Ferguson mentioned a fallen and burnt Eucalyptus regnans (also called Eucalyptus regnans) that had height at least 132 meters.
• Around the same time, several 140 m tall specimens were recorded. Unfortunately, we cannot verify these measurements: all these trees were cut down. Rowan was and is important building material in Australia.

The tallest living eucalyptus trees can be found in Tasmania. Height of eucalyptus tree bearing proud nickname"Centurion" is about 100 meters. It is the tallest living deciduous tree on Earth . It was discovered in October 2008 using a laser mounted on an aircraft, 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 Department argues that the maximum the height of the tree can be about 130 meters.

When the tree reaches this point, it will pump less and less water and nutrients. There simply won't be enough for new growth.

There is no living tree in the world that will grow to 130 meters.

Man builds huge skyscrapers from iron and concrete. People pass them by all their lives without thinking. But the sight of a huge tree, more than 100 meters high, takes your breath away. Man is not involved in the creation of this splendor; it is a creation of nature.

For a long time, two trees competed for the title of the tallest in the world - Helios and Hypereon. They overtook each other, confusing the record book compilers. Helios was discovered earlier; for several years it was considered the undisputed leader in growth.

Interesting fact! When Hypereon was discovered, the palm passed to him. Now he is firmly in the lead, ahead of his opponent by ninety centimeters.

Top 5 tallest trees

All of them are coniferous sequoias located in North America. The exact location is kept a closely guarded secret in order to protect the record holders. They are known to grow on the Pacific coast.

Features of the tallest trees in the world

It is known that all giants belong to the evergreen sequoia species, which is considered a close relative of the ordinary cypress.

They are amazing in several ways:

• height;
• trunk volume;
• age;
• exceptional abilities.

Hypereon, in addition to its impressive growth, also has an amazing age. It is over 700 years old! He saw so many people, witnessed so many stories and warriors that it is difficult to even imagine.

And the most amazing thing: 700 years for them is not old age. Scientists believe that evergreen sequoias can live up to 4 thousand years. Hypereon is considered a green teenager, and its growth and volume will continue to increase.

Interesting fact! Evergreen redwoods They are record holders not only in terms of height. These are some of the most ancient trees on earth. The first sequoias appeared more than two hundred million years ago. They were named after the leader of one of the Indian tribes - Sequoia.

It is known that redwoods lived on the planet during the time of dinosaurs. They populated the entire northern part of America, as evidenced by the results of archaeological excavations. Back then they were called “living fossils.”

TO exceptional features Evergreen sequoia has the ability to absorb carbon dioxide. They are the best at this task, acting as defenders against ozone holes. Due to the absorption of carbon dioxide in large quantities, they prevent them from increasing.

Reasons for the secrecy of the location of giant trees

There are very few such giants left in the world. It's all because of man. Due to the constant cutting down of trees, all the giants were surrounded by parks. Tourists can go there and walk around, but no one can tell where exactly this or that tree is located. The data is classified even for park employees.

Furniture items made from redwood sell very well.

These benefits make redwoods a target for criminals. When their number was reduced to 500, environmentalists took control of the situation. An official ban on logging has been issued; they are all now growing in a protected park area.

Big trees in Russia

The USA is not the only country where green giants have settled. IN Krasnodar region grows distant relative The tallest trees in the world are the Nordman fir. Fir trees reach up to 70 meters in height, trailing the record holders. However, the sight of a 70-meter tree will not leave you indifferent.

Their possible age is much smaller. Nordman fir is susceptible to pests, their maximum age is only 600 years.

Important! Spruce trees in the northern part of Russia reach up to 60 meters in height. Such trees live no more than 300 years. At one time, the cedar tree, 20 meters high, was considered the record holder for growth in Russia.

Other trees growing in Russia are much lower. Birch and ash trees can grow no more than 25 meters. Other species do not reach this growth.

Green giants that do not belong to the conifer family

Centurion, which has been growing on the island of Tasmania for more than 400 years, reaches a height of 101 meters. It is the largest of all deciduous trees in the world.

Tasmania has become home to several leaf giants. Icarus's Dream, 97 meters tall, grows not far from Centurion. The difference of 40 meters makes these giants possible rivals for supremacy among the tallest deciduous trees.

Interesting facts about giant trees:

• Since all the height record holders grow in California, the sequoia has become a symbol of the state.
• Redwood trees served as an example for creating the world in the movie Avatar.
• The longest-living tree is the sequoia, cut down in 1965, its age is 4484 years. Now it has become an architectural monument. Tourists come to admire it in a park located in California.
• The youngest giant tree is Lauralin, grows in California, its height is 112 meters.
• If you look at a photo of a sequoia, you will notice that its thick branches look like tusks; it is called a mammoth tree.
• Environmentalists suggest that if everyone deciduous trees On the ground it was possible to replace it with conifers, then the ground would be oversaturated with oxygen.
• Evergreen sequoias grow only in the United States. In order to preserve the species, ecologists are trying to grow these trees in other countries.
• Sequoia bark is very dense, its thickness can reach up to 30 cm.
• Redwoods are fire resistant. Wood saturated with moisture cannot be burned.
• Redwoods do not grow higher than 2 kilometers above sea level.
• Tourists have a belief that green giants are endowed with souls. They talk to them and ask for advice.

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The tree, which is located in Sequoia National Park, in the Sierra Nevada Mountains (USA), is considered the largest tree on the planet. This giant sequoia, which is 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 the uniquely tall tree had lived on our planet for over three thousand years. However, recent research has 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 older age she could not dial: in 1965 it was cut down. Sequoia trees, which were approximately three thousand years old, were also cut down. However, scientists hope that five-thousand-year-old trees still grow somewhere on earth.

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.

To ensure that even people with disabilities can reach the General Sherman 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. This shows that the General Sherman tree is alive and 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. Based on the annual rings, it has been established that the oldest giant sequoia that still grows on earth is 3.2 thousand years old.

Dear readers of the site “I and the World”, hello! Have you ever looked at the tallest tree in the world? Moreover, standing under him. It seems that its crown rests on the clouds and props up the sky. In the article you will see in the photo and find out which trees are currently taller than others.

In 5th place is the Tsar Oak - 46 m

The height of the royal oak reaches the 15th floor of a high-rise building, and its girth is 2.14 m. The oak has been growing for 800 years in the Pozhezhinsky Park of Belarus. Now the oak has been awarded the title of Natural Monument.

One day, lightning struck its crown and the top burned to the ground. Good people decided to help, even with difficulty, but they cut down the burnt crown, and inserted and secured a lightning rod into the trunk so that such situations would not happen again.

We gave 4th place to Sequoia “General Sherman” - 83 m

This sequoia lives for 2700 years, and its trunk diameter has reached 7.7 m. This conifer tree is much heavier in weight than the largest aquatic animal - the blue whale, which weighs 190 tons. The weight of the wood General is about 2000 tons. Sequoia branches are arranged in an unusual way: they grow horizontally and slightly bend towards the ground. In ancient times, sequoias grew on almost all continents, but now they can only be found in Australia and California. Only a few groves have survived, and the largest are protected by law.

3rd place – Sequoia Hyperion – 115.6 m

Although the diameter of the Hyperion is smaller than that of the Sherman (only 4 m), but what a height! And the giant would have grown even higher if the crown had not been damaged by a woodpecker, hollowing out the wood, so the growth stopped. Its age does not exceed 900 years. The name Hyperion was given in honor of one of the ancient Greek titans, which means “very tall.” 43 floors up and you reach the crown.

In second place is Regal Eucalyptus – 150 m

In the mid-19th century, an Australian forest inspector came across a huge fallen giant, 150 meters long. And although this eucalyptus no longer grows, it can be considered the second tallest giant on earth. evergreen tree was almost 20 m in circumference, but history contains information about eucalyptus trees with a circumference of 25 m.

Currently, such giants no longer exist. They did not survive the Australian fires and burned out completely.

Sequoias grow not only on the Australian continent, but also in South America. Interesting fact: all sequoias got their name in honor of the Indian leader of the Sequah tribe, who fought against the conquerors.

1st place – Baobab – 189 m

Where is the tallest tree in the world located and growing? More recently, it was discovered in Africa, 189 meters high. Previously, it was customary to consider sequoias and eucalyptus trees to be the longest, but this baobab is considered taller than all. Its age reaches 5000 years. Thick tree It is about 9 meters in diameter and is perfectly adapted to life in a very hot climate. Its powerful and long roots go deep into the ground for kilometers.

Baobab is good at recovering from damage to the bark by people or fires. Even if the core burns out, the baobab tree stubbornly continues to live. The baobab also blooms during the rainy season and is covered with large flowers with delicate white petals.

We would like to especially note the longest plant - Rattan palm. It belongs to the liana family. So, if this fast-growing plant is delivered, for example, to Paris, then it will be higher than the Eiffel Tower (more than 300 meters).

In the article we showed which is the tallest tree in the world and what it is called. We tried to highlight Interesting Facts some giants. And if you liked everything, suggest reading the article to your friends and acquaintances. See you on the pages of our website!