Trees are some of the most magnificent and wonderful creatures on the planet. Many of them are overwhelming, which raises the question of which is the highest.
And it turns out that the tallest trees in the world are evergreen sequoias (also known as beach redwood or coastal mammoths) that appear on the fog-shrouded shores of Redwood National Park in Northern California.
This giant species has a tree known as “Hyperion” according to the Guinness Book of Records. When last measured in 2019, it measured 380 feet 9.7 inches (116.07 meters) from top to bottom, taller than a 35 -story building.
The exact location of Hyperion is a close secret, but it seems to be rooted, on a side of a hill where many of the old evergreen sequoia trees have been cut down. Hyperion somehow survived the jigsaw, and the tree is estimated to be between 600 and 800 years old.
The giant tree was first discovered in 2006 by Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor, who were part of a research team that trampled California’s forests in search of tall trees at the time, SFGate reports.
The tree was slightly shorter at the time, standing at a height of 379 feet 1.2 inches (115.5 meters). At the same time, this group discovered the second and third tallest trees: then Helios, with a height of 376.3 feet (114.7 meters), and Icarus, with a height of 371.2 feet (113.1 meters).
“Although it is on steep slopes, it grows in the best redwood habitat on the planet, close to lots of water, and there is a lot of fog, which keeps the local climate mild and humid,” Atkins told SFGate in 2006. .
It is noteworthy that the evergreen sequoia is not only the tallest tree on the planet, but also one of the oldest living organisms on Earth, capable of living up to 2,000 years.
It’s not entirely clear why these trees can live so old, but climate plays a role. Although the interior of California is scorching in the summer, a thick blanket of dew covers the coastal gardens and keeps temperatures cool throughout the year. According to the National Park Service, the coast also sees approximately 254 centimeters of rain per year, which helps fuel these giant gardens.
Evergreen sequoia trees are also among the hardest trees in the world. Its tannin -rich bark appears almost immune to fungi and diseases that plague other trees.
The 25-centimeter-thick bark allows these giants to withstand the wildfires that have historically engulfed the Sierra.
Although the evergreen sequoia trees are the tallest trees in the world, they are not the largest, as the largest trees on our planet are General Sherman and General Grant, the giant sequoia trees that cling to the rocks of Kings Canyon. , California, and Rocky Sierra National park. in Sequoia.
The tallest tree on other continents according to the Guinness Book of Records:
The eucalyptus regnans tree is located on the island of Tasmania at a height of 327.5 feet (99.82 meters) and is the tallest tree in Australia.
The tallest tree in Asia is the yellow merantia (Shorea faguetiana) found in Malaysia. At 323.3 feet (98.53 meters), it is shorter than the tallest tree in Australia.
In South America, the Diniza excelsea tree in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil is the tallest tree on the continent with a height of 290.4 feet (88.5 meters).
The tallest tree in Africa, Entandrophragma excelsum, near Kilimanjaro National Park in Tanzania, is 267.4 feet (81.50 meters) tall.
The largest tree in Europe lives in Portugal, the Eucalyptus diversicolor (variegated eucalyptus) tree is 239.2 feet (72.9 meters) tall.
Source: Life Science
Source: Arabic RT
