Tallest Trees in the World
The world's largest tree by height is the Hyperion, which is a coastal redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) and is located somewhere in the heart of Redwood National Park in California. This should come as no surprise: majestic redwoods are among the tallest and oldest trees on the planet, and their existence dates back a whopping 200 million years, to the Jurassic period.
So, how tall is the tallest tree in the world? The
Hyperion reaches a staggering 379.1 feet high! Discovered in 2006 by two naturalists and confirmed by redwood expert Stephen Silett, it has quietly grown for an estimated 700-800 years.
Access to this tree by recreational hikers, climbers and tree enthusiasts has been blocked by the National Park Service, with a hefty $5,000 fine for violators. This is for the protection of the tree itself, and the surrounding old growth redwood forest, after visitors were bushwhacking to the remote tree, damaging the understory and leaving trash behind. Park rangers say that from the ground, the tree doesn't really stand out, because you can only see the first 150ft — but the curiosity is understandable.
Just a few hundred feet away from this giant is a clearcut from the 1970’s. That means that Hyperion was maybe weeks away from being cut down due to deforestation before the land was protected with National Park status by the Carter administration.
THE TALLEST TREE IN ASIA: THE MENARA
Second in line of the world's largest trees is a yellow meranti (Shorea faguetiana), named the Menara, that is a whopping 331 feet high. Named after the Malay word for “tower", the Menara is located in Sabah, a Malaysian state located on the island of Borneo.
Part of what gives the Menara its great height is its near-perfect symmetry, which allows its trunk to grow straight into the air. The yellow meranti species is highly endangered due to over-harvesting, but thanks to protection efforts and the establishment of the Danum Valley Conservation Area, these aweinspiring monoliths can live on. Some species protected by the tree include the endangered orangutan, clouded leopard, and forest elephants.
THE WORLD'S TALLEST EUCALYPTUS: THE CENTURION
Arguably a candidate for the luckiest tree in the world, the Centurion is the world's largest individual mountain ash tree (Eucalyptus regnans). At a height of 330 ft., the Centurion is located in Tasmania, Australia. The name Centurion came from its status as the 100th tall tree that was registered by an aerial laser mapping system.
It holds several world records, including the tallest flowering plant and the tallest hardwood tree. Centurion narrowly survived a bushfire in 2019 that wiped out much of the surrounding foliage, but left Centurion standing, though slightly singed. Centurion’s best years still lie ahead as it continues to grow — and who knows, maybe it will rank higher on a future list!