home Treatment and prevention The biggest tree in the world. The largest tree in the world

The biggest tree in the world. The largest tree in the world

The state of California in the United States of America grows the most a big tree Globe. The sequoia tree grows in the Sequoia Park of the same name, the total area of which is one thousand six hundred thirty-five square meters. There are many giant sequoias growing in the park. The plants were named after the Indian chief of the tribe, whose name was Sequoia. The park is interesting not only because it contains giant sequoias, but also because of its caves. In total there are two hundred and fifty caves. But all of them are closed to tourists. Tourists will be able to visit only one Crystal cave - the second largest. The largest cave in the park reaches a length of up to thirty-two kilometers. The park is famous for its attractive mountain scenery, alpine meadows and beautiful waterfalls. Another unique feature of this park is a small tunnel that is cut through a giant sequoia tree that has fallen onto the road.

Sequoias reach a height of up to one hundred meters and a diameter of up to ten meters. Besides the fact that these trees are famous large sizes they are also known for being long-lived. Their average lifespan is about four thousand years. The only plants to which they are inferior in lifespan are bristlecone pines growing in the Sierra Nevada mountains. On this unique properties Redwoods are not ending, as they are one of the few plants adapted to fire.

The most popular tree in the park is the General Sherman giant sequoia. It was named after the brave General Sherman who bravely fought his enemies during the Civil War. This name was given to the tree on the initiative of a naturalist who served as a lieutenant during the war under the command of Sherman. You can find sequoia in the Forest of Giants. The popularity of the sequoia is due to the fact that it bears the title of the largest coniferous tree in the whole world. It is worth noting that the tree is the largest not in height, but in terms of wood volume. The height of the sequoia is eighty-one meters, the diameter at the base is thirty-two meters, the crown span is forty meters. The weight of the trunk is one ton, one hundred twenty-one kilograms, the total mass of the tree is one ton, nine hundred and ten kilograms. For a long time the tree was believed to be about three thousand years old. But after research, it was found that the age of the plant is exactly two thousand years. This means that General Sherman has average age. In addition, there are four more in the park large sequoias which in the future can claim to be the largest.

The title of the largest tree on earth General Sherman received after the Crannell Creek Giant was cut down. The tree grew in the suburbs of Trinidad, and was cut down in the mid-forties of the last century. The volume of the felled tree is twenty-five percent greater than the volume of the General Sherman. Scientists conducted a comparative analysis, which found that General Sherman is the largest coniferous tree in the world. In 2006, the largest branch, about eleven meters long and two meters in diameter, fell from a tree. When it fell, the branch left a dent in the path and damaged the fence. Fortunately, there were no people near the tree during the incident and no one was injured. According to scientists, this happened not because of the poor condition of the tree, but as a consequence of the plant’s protective reaction to unfavorable conditions. weather. This incident did not deprive General Sherman of the title of the largest tree in the world. Every year the diameter of the tree increases by one and a half centimeters and adds wood, which is enough to build a six-room house. Interestingly, such a tree produces about one hundred and twenty kilograms of oxygen per year.

Incredible facts

If you watched the movie Avatar, then you were probably impressed by the forests of Pandora. But to see the most fantastic trees, you don't have to go on an intergalactic journey.

Trees are part of our lives, providing us with oxygen, food, houses, warmth and building materials. There are about 100,000 various types trees, including a quarter of all living plant species on Earth.

Among the billions of trees around the world, there are completely unique and amazing representatives.

1. Giant sequoia "General Sherman"

Giant sequoias that grow in Sierra Nevada in California they are considered the largest trees in terms of volume. The largest tree is " General Sherman" V Sequoia National Park, the height of which reaches 83 m, the volume is about 1,486 cubic meters. m, and weighs more than 6000 tons. The tree is believed to be somewhere between 2,300 and 2,700 years old, and each year the tree grows as much wood as a typical 18-foot tree. It is a true natural masterpiece and greatest living organism on earth.

2. Aspen poplar: Pando

Pando or Trembling Giant, located in Utah, USA, is an amazing massive colony aspen trees, sprawled across 100 acres in Utah. Almost all the trees in this colony are genetically identical, that is, they are clones of each other. Every tree in this area comes from a single organism, being part of a giant underground root system.

Pando consists of 47,000 trunks, and its collective weight is 6,600 tons, making it the heaviest organism in the world. Despite the fact that the average age of individual trunks is about 130 years, the entire body is already about 80,000 years.

3. Taxodium mexicanis: Tule tree

The Thule tree is a particularly large tree of the species Taxodium mexicanis which is located near the city Oaxaca in Mexico. By this tree largest trunk girth(58 m) and a trunk diameter of 11.5 m. It is said that Thule tree so thick that you don’t hug it, but it hugs you.

The tree is believed to be about 2000 years old. For a time, detractors claimed that there were actually three trees camouflaging there, but careful DNA analysis confirmed that it was, in fact, one beautiful tree.

In 1994, the tree was under threat: the leaves became painful yellow and there were dead branches everywhere. The tree was dying. When the “healers” of the trees were called, it turned out that the problem that caused the Tule tree to suffer was simple thirst and it needed to be treated with water. Naturally, after careful water procedures, the tree came to life.

4. Tree of Life

The tree of Life in Bahrain it is the loneliest tree in the world. The mesquite tree is located on the very high point barren desert of Bahrain, hundreds of kilometers from other natural trees. It is believed that its roots extend several tens of meters to aquifers. The exact age of the tree is unknown, but it is believed to be over 400 years old.

However, the secret Tree of life is not its size, age or shape, although it is quite large and very beautiful. The most amazing thing is that it stands alone in a barren desert on the highest point of Bahrain, in an area that has absolutely no water. In a place where it seemed nothing could survive, this tree seems to radiate life itself. People come here in droves, as locals believe that the tree stands on the site of the Garden of Eden.

5. Wollemia

Despite its uniqueness and beauty, interesting qualities Wollemia are not hiding in appearance, but in his history.

Wollemia, growing in Australia, is a real living dinosaur. Oldest tree fossil Wollemia dates back to 200 million years ago. When, in 1994, scientists suddenly discovered a living tree Wollemia, they were simply dumbfounded.

The exact location of these coniferous trees was carefully hidden in order to protect those remaining trees, of which there are less than 100 left in nature. To save these trees from extinction, a program was launched in 2006 that allowed the general public to purchase seedlings Wollemia and now they can be seen in various botanical gardens.

6. Pirangi Cashew Tree

This famous tree, located near the city of Natal in Brazil, is a 177-year-old cashew tree that covers almost 2 hectares of land. It was planted in 1888 by a fisherman who did not know that the tree had genetic mutation, which allowed him to take up so much space. Unlike an ordinary cashew tree, when the branches of the tree Pirangi touch the ground, it takes root and continues to grow.

Today this tree serves as a tourist attraction. When you approach this largest cashew tree in the world, you will feel like you are entering a forest. In fact, this is all one tree, the size of which reaches 8400 square meters. m. Tree 80 times larger than the average cashew tree and covers an area larger than a football field, bearing about 80,000 fruits per year.

7. Tenere Tree

The Ténéré tree is mentioned in this list because it no longer exists. A lone acacia tree growing in the Sahara desert of Niger in Africa, which was more than 300 years old, was the only tree within a radius of about 400 km. It was the only tree that remained from a huge forest that was swallowed up by the merciless desert. When the scientists dug a hole next to the tree, they discovered that its roots went down to a depth of 36 m below the groundwater level.

In 1973, the Tenere tree was hit by a drunk truck driver, and today a metal monument was built on the site in honor of Lone Tree Tenere.

8. Banyan: Mahabodhi Tree

The banyan tree is named after the banyan trees or Hindu traders who sold their goods sitting under this tree. Even if you have never heard of the banyan tree, you will probably recognize it. The shape of this giant tree cannot be confused with anything: a majestic dome with aerial roots that descend from the branches to the ground.

One of the most famous types of banyan tree is called ficus sacred or bo tree is Mahabodhi tree V Anuradhapura, in Sri Lanka. The tree is said to have been grown from a cutting from a real tree, under which Buddha achieved enlightenment in the 6th century BC

Having been planted in 288 BC, it is the oldest tree in the world, planted by a man with exact date landings.

9. Baobab

Madagascar is considered the birthplace of the baobab; it is also common in Africa and Australia. Baobab trees are the oldest forms of life on mainland Africa and many of those that still stand today have been growing since Roman times.

Amazing baobab or " monkey breadfruit" can grow up to 30 m in height and 11 m in width. They remain without leaves for most of the year . Characteristic feature Baobab is their pot-bellied trunk, which serves as a water storage facility. baobab tree can hold up to 120,000 liters of water to survive severe drought conditions. Some trunks are so large that people live inside the tree.

One of the most beautiful clusters of baobabs of the species Adansonia Grandidier located on Baobab Avenue in Morondava in Madagascar. Some baobabs take on the shape of a bottle, a skull, and even a teapot.

10. Dragon Tree

Dragon's Tree Icod de los Vinos in Tenerife, one of Canary Islands, is a unique representative. It is believed to be between 650 and 1,500 years old, but experts find it difficult to draw exact conclusions as it does not have one trunk. He's more likely consists of many small trunks, which hold on to each other as they grow upward.

It has a dense canopy of leaves and gets its name from the resin that is released when its bark and leaves are cut. Residents believe that this is dried dragon blood and have been using it to treat various ailments since ancient times.

There are many tall trees around the world whose extraordinary height has been exaggerated and disputed. However, with the help of the latest measuring instruments, 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 tall sequoia tree found in Redwood Park 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

The top 10 tallest trees in the world are headed by a sequoia from Northern California, bearing the proud name 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 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.

Video version

Redwoods, also known as redwoods, are the tallest tree species 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, trees were being cleared. About two weeks before a man with a saw would approach Hyperion, Redwood Valley became National Park Redwood. 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 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. This is the tallest thing alive deciduous tree on the ground . 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.

As the tree reaches this point, it will pump less and less 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.

The General Sherman Tree is located in Sequoia National Park in the USA, in the Sierra Nevada Mountains (California).
This tree is also the largest living creature on the planet.
The height of the giant General Sherman tree is more than 83 meters, the circumference of its trunk is more than 24 meters, and the circumference of its crown is as much as 33 meters.

In the nineteenth century, explorer John Muir called the area where the famous tree grows the “Giant Forest” when he discovered giant sequoias. The name of this part of the park, "Giant Forest", remains to this day. Many tourists describe the General Sherman tree, which is striking in its size, as a red-orange “rock”, the top of which is impossible to see.
Tourists specially come to the park to see the General Sherman tree, named after the hero civil war General William Sherman, and take a photo. Next to the sequoia they seem so fragile and small.

For a long time it was believed that the General Sherman tree was over three thousand years old, but recent research has determined its exact age - exactly two thousand years. This means that this is not the oldest tree in the world.

The oldest tree in the world, a special species of California pine, was 4,484 years old when it was cut down in 1965. Sequoia trees, which were about 3,000 years old, were also cut down. It is believed that 5,000 trees still exist on Earth.
In the winter of 2006, the General Sherman tree lost part of its crown, the largest branch of the tree fell off, the diameter of which was about two meters and the length was about 30 meters

When the branches fell to the ground, the fence around the tree and the road leading to it were destroyed. Even after this, General Sherman's tree did not lose its status as the largest tree on the planet.

There is a special path leading to General Sherman's tree, and even people with disabilities can see this miracle. At the end of the path there are brick tiles, which show where the roots of the tree reach.

Each year the giant's trunk grows nearly 1.5 cm in diameter. The General Sherman Tree is still growing and, according to the California State Park website, is adding enough wood each year to fill a five or six-room house.

Here is the definition of this tree can be found on Wikipedia:

General Sherman- a specimen of giant sequoiadendron ( Sequoiadendron giganteum), growing in the "Giant Forest" of Sequoia National Park in California, USA. In terms of volume it is the largest big tree on the ground. The height of the General Sherman tree is 83.8 m, the trunk volume is estimated at 1487 m³, the weight is 1900 tons, and the age is 2300-2700 years.

The General Sherman tree is the largest and heaviest living organism on our planet. However, it is neither the tallest sequoia (this record belongs to the Hyperion tree, which belongs to the sequoia evergreen species), nor the tallest representative of sequoiadendrons (specimens with a height of 95 m are known, but they have a smaller volume). It is also known that the Crannell Creek Giant tree, which was felled in the mid-1940s. Crannell Creek Giant) species of evergreen sequoia, growing near the city of Trinidad, had approximately 15-25% greater volume than General Sherman

Let's take a closer look at it...

Photo 2.

Tourists specifically come to the park to see the General Sherman tree, named after Civil War hero General William Sherman, and to take photos. Next to the sequoia they seem so fragile and small.

Photo 3.

The oldest tree in the world, a special species of California pine, was 4,484 years old when it was cut down in 1965. Sequoia trees that were about 3,000 years old were also cut down. It is believed that 5,000 trees still exist on Earth.

In the winter of 2006, General Sherman's tree lost part of its crown, the largest branch of the tree fell off, the diameter of which was about two meters and the length was about 30 meters.

Photo 4.

Scientists are worried: is the tree really dying? However, they came to the conclusion that this incident does not indicate any problems in the condition of the tree, but may only be a natural defense mechanism against adverse weather conditions.

Photo 5.

One of the secrets to the longevity of giant sequoias is their thick, durable, fire-resistant bark. But sometimes, during the frequent fires in southern California, the tree burns out completely.

Photo 7.

No one can say how long a sequoia can live (or, scientifically, a giant sequoiadendron), but researchers have encountered trees here that are estimated to be 3 thousand years old! (Around this period in Eurasia, humanity learned to process copper and bronze).

Photo 8.

Have you ever wondered how much oxygen such a tree can produce? About 120 kg per year - this will be enough for a family of three to four people!

Photo 9.

A few numbers. The circumference of the trunk near the ground is 31.3 m. The span of the crown is 39.6 meters. The total mass of the tree is 1910 tons, the weight of the trunk is 1121 tons.

General Sherman is found in literature: in the fairy tale “The Gnomobil - Gnousual Gnoves about Gnomes” by Upton Sinclair, as well as in Ilf and Petrov’s book “One-Storey America”.

Photo 10.