Biggest tree in the world. The largest trees in the world

Looking at the environment around us, at the beauties that nature gives, at the trees that seem huge to us, one involuntarily asks the question: how old are the trees that we meet every day on the way to work? But the tree that 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 the very only tree that has incredible dimensions. So what is the largest tree in the world?

Some historical facts

The name of the giant and the only living creature of this size is sequoiadendron. Sequoia is also called and for good reason. In appearance, this tree resembles a mammoth with its huge size, and hanging branches look like his tusks. For the first time in history, the mention of sequoia appeared in 1853. Most often, these trees were found in the western part of California, on the slope of the Sierra Nevada. The giant sequoiadendron struck the people of the Old World, and the representatives of this plant were given the names of great people. Lzhon Lindley, the first known botanist, first described 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. Then, in 1939, the 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 today located in the place where it was first discovered: in California. Now there is a national park with the same name "Sequoia" 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 in the Civil War of 1861-1865. He was called a talented general, as he had the tactics of attacking the enemy, which was not subject to anyone. The general also has a notorious reputation for a tactic called "scorched earth".

Tree dimensions

Height of the big 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 him this name. 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 look at the largest tree in the world describe its bark as a red-orange stone, the top of which cannot be seen. When photographed next to the General Sherman tree, people look like tiny ants.

Age of General Sherman

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 over three thousand years old. But recently, experts, after conducting a series of studies, officially announced that the age of the legendary sequoiadendron is two and a half thousand years. It is terrible to imagine what this mighty tree could survive in order to grow to such a staggering size. 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. He lost the largest and heaviest branch, the diameter of which was two meters and a length of over thirty meters. When the branch fell, the fence and the road leading to the living sight were destroyed. But even after such a loss, General Sherman's tree has not ceased to be considered the largest tree in the world.

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

tree growth

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

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

national park and its workers made sure that all people could see the legendary giant and take a photo of the largest tree in the world. There is a special road for people with handicapped so they can get as close to the tree as possible.

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

In addition, the park has the top of Moro Rock, which offers an incredible view of the entire "forest of giants".

But unfortunately, all the giants and centenarians of the national park may disappear from the face of the Earth. Such a threat is related to the climate in California. The drought, which has been going on for more than one year, endangers all plants, including the largest tree in the world, the sequoiadendron. No matter how powerful the sequoia trees are, they cannot withstand fires. Also, due to dryness, new trees do not have the opportunity to appear. Park employees are trying in every way to support the favorable life of the legendary plants.

The flora of our planet never ceases to amaze with its diversity. Special place given to trees. They have been growing on Earth since ancient times. Diversity in appearance, shape, habitat, size - all this makes a person examine them with special care. Sometimes you can meet real champions, for example, the most tall tree in the world. This will be discussed in this article.

Height Champion - general information Sequoia is the name of the tallest tree in the world. This is a coniferous tree, found for the most part only in the state of California (USA). It got its name in honor of the Indian leader who invented the Cherokee syllabary and became the founder of a newspaper in this language.

The local population, which is already accustomed to these giants, call this plant simply: "mahogany". Most of these giants are located in the Muir Forest, Redwood reserves and the Sequoia National Park. Among the giants, you can find both "age" and fairly young specimens.

Currently, the title of "The tallest tree in the world" belongs to a sequoia called "Hyperion". It has a height of more than 115 m, a diameter of 11 m and an age of about 800 years.

What is the tallest tree in the world? A bit of history

In ancient times, when the air humidity was greater, the sequoia was also found in today's territories of Japan, France, Svalbard and the New Siberian Islands. Also, the ice age significantly influenced the resettlement.

Until 1848, there was no exploitation of the forest of this tree. This is due to the large size of the plant, since it was difficult to fell it with an ax and even (later) with a saw. The start of the extermination unique forest it is considered that the "gold rush" that came to these territories in the same 1848. The US authorities took this tree under protection only after about half of these giants were cut down. Then the sequoia was declared public property.

Appearance

The crown of the plant has a conical shape. Sequoia branches grow mostly horizontally, less often with a slight downward slope. The bark of this giant is quite thick, it can reach 30 cm in width. To the touch it is fibrous and soft, when touched it seems as if the hand is immersed in it, while the sensations are very unusual. When the bark is removed, it is red-brown, but darkens after a while.

The tallest tree in the world is changing its appearance with age. In "youth" (up to 100 years), it resembles a dark green pyramid. Branches tightly cover the trunk from the ground to the top.

Over time, its lower part is exposed, becomes thicker. The leaves are small, reaching a length of 15-25 cm. In a young sequoia, they grow elongated and flat, in centenarians, in the lower crown - with arrows, in the upper - scaly. The bumps of these giants are small, no more chicken egg, approximately 1.5-3.5 cm.

Pollination occurs at the end of winter, and after 8-9 months, up to 7 seeds ripen. They fall to the ground when the cone dries up and opens. It is expected that by 2017 the record holder will change again, and it will be the Helion sequoia, which now reaches 114 meters. This is due to the fact that the tree grows very quickly, which cannot be said about Hyperion with its top damaged by woodpeckers.

Age

Sequoia is not only the tallest tree in the world. It also beats the world records of the fauna of our planet by age. The plant is also called a "living fossil" or mammoth tree. On average, a sequoia lives from two to four thousand years.

The real record holder among representatives of this species is a tree with an age of 4484 years. It was established on the annual rings of a cut sequoia in 1965. In the pre-glacial period, the number of these plants was greater, perhaps even dinosaurs rested under them. Archaeologists have proven that the tree grew back in the Jurassic period.

The secret of the longevity of these giants is in their root system. It is shallow and widely branched. Thanks to this, when searching for water and other nutrients she captures large area. A significant role is played by the special bark of the sequoia, it is very thick and contains chemical elements, scaring various insects and other pests.

Sequoia National Park

It is located in the state of California and has an area of ​​1683 sq. km. The name was given due to its majestic inhabitants. It was formed in 1890 to protect these trees. It has a mountainous terrain.

Most large plants are under special protection, fenced and even have their own name. The most popular is the General Sherman tree. You can see him in the Forest of Giants. It is about 2 thousand years old, the plant reaches a height of 81 meters, and its circumference at the base is 32 meters.

Sequoia named after General Sherman continues to grow today, every year the diameter of the trunk increases by an average of 1.5 cm. Its wood would be enough to build a six-room house. Thanks to such amazing characteristics, the tree received the title of "largest".

The tallest tree in the world - the Hyperion sequoia - is located in another national park - Redwood. However, five out of ten record holders among plants for growth grow here. The national park is also known for other attractions. Here you can drive a car through a small tunnel cut in the middle of a sequoia that fell onto the road and blocked further movement. The park is also famous for its caves, of which there are more than 250.

living conditions

Sequoia needs high humidity, so it grows near the coast Pacific Ocean. The tree can be found at an altitude of 30-750 m above sea level. It grows both on the coast and in the mountain gorge. He loves fogs, from which he receives up to 30% of all the necessary moisture, which allows the tree to become taller and larger.

Despite their small number (only 500 specimens remain in the world), the tallest trees in the world are very viable. Around the huge stumps left from the cut down giants, you can always see young shoots, they also begin to grow instead of a broken branch or top. Usually the "new generation" is growing very fast.

Interesting Facts

It has been proven that the tallest trees in the world - sequoias - have the ability to purify the air from carbon dioxide better than other plants. Forest owners who have not cut down a significant part of them for a hundred years receive special compensation for lost profits. It's called a carbon credit. Fires are not destructive for this tree, its bark does not burn. On the contrary, they have great importance for his survival.

Fire prepares forest floor for germination and thins the forest from other plants, providing access to sunlight to young shoots. The heat also causes the buds to open, causing the seeds to fall down to the ground. Sequoia will grow well in other conditions (some even try to plant it at home), but the process will be long, and it will not reach its majestic size, as in natural environment a habitat.

The highest and big trees in the world

These titles are transferred from time to time from one to another creation of nature. Sequoia is the absolute champion among all trees. However, do not ignore other plants. The giant eucalyptus from the dense forests of Tasmania is the tallest deciduous tree in the world. It reaches 101 meters. Experts have established that its age is 400 years, the plant was named "Centurion". He got into the Guinness Book of Records, because it is the tallest tree in the world among flowering.

Do not disregard another giant - a record holder, but already in the thickness of the trunk. This is a baobab, or adansonia palmate. In height, it grows only 30 m, but its diameter can reach 9 m. This plant does not have growth rings, which makes it difficult to determine its age. However, thanks to special analyzes, it has been proven that a tree with a trunk diameter of 4.5 meters is approximately 5,000 years old. Only the European chestnut can compete with the baobab. Since 1845, a tree with a trunk diameter of 20 m has been known.

The tallest tree in Russia

Our country also has its giants. These are Siberian firs. They grow up to 60-100 meters. The straight trunk of the tree is densely covered with branches, which makes it seem that the crown starts from the ground itself. AT Krasnodar Territory Nordmann fir is known, which under favorable conditions reaches 80 m in height. Even the common spruce, which grows throughout Russia, can stretch up to 60 meters. There is another tall tree - this is an 18-meter Siberian cedar, girth of its trunk 3 m, age 250 years. This evergreen coniferous tree is considered to be one of the most beautiful in the region. The maximum Siberian cedar can reach a height of 40 meters, since it grows up to 500 years.

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

General Sherman- a copy of the giant sequoiadendron ( Sequoiadendron giganteum) growing in the "Giant Forest" of the Sequoia National Park in California, USA. In terms of volume, it is the largest tree on Earth. The height of the General Sherman tree is 83.8 m, the volume of the trunk 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 evergreen sequoia species), nor the tallest representative of sequoiadendrons (95 m high specimens are known, but they have a smaller volume). It is also known that the Crannell Creek Giant tree, cut down in the mid-1940s, Crannell Creek Giant) species evergreen sequoia, growing near the city of Trinidad, had about 15-25% more volume than General Sherman

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

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In the nineteenth century, the area where the famous tree grows, the explorer John Muir (John Muir), called 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, striking in its size, as a red-orange "stone", the top of which cannot be seen.

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

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For a long time it was believed that General Sherman's tree was over three thousand years old, but recent research has determined its exact age - exactly two thousand years. So it's 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. Sequoias were also cut down, the age of which reached about 3000 years. It is believed that 5,000 trees still exist on Earth.

In the winter of 2006, the tree of General Sherman 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.

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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 can only be a natural defense mechanism against adverse weather conditions.

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.

A special path leads to the tree of General Sherman, and even people with disabilities can see this miracle. At the end of the path, brick tiles are laid out, which show where the roots of the tree reach.

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Each year, the diameter of the giant's trunk grows by almost 1.5 cm. The General Sherman tree is still growing and, according to the website national park State of California, annually adds wood, which is enough to build a five or six-room house.

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

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No one can say how long a sequoia can live (and scientifically, a giant sequoiadendron), but researchers meet trees here that are estimated to be 3,000 years old! (About this period in Eurasia, mankind learned to process copper and bronze).

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

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

General Sherman is found in literature: in Upton Sinclair's fairy tale "Gnomobile - gnome news about gnomes", as well as in Ilf and Petrov's book "One-story America".

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The largest tree grows in the state of California in the United States of America globe. The sequoia tree grows in the Sequoia Park of the same name, total area 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 Sequoyah. The park is interesting not only because giant sequoias grow in it, but also because of the caves. In total, there are two hundred and fifty caves. But they are all closed to tourists. Tourists will be able to visit only one Crystal Cave - the second largest. The most big 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 cut through a giant sequoia that has fallen on the road.

Sequoias reach a height of up to one hundred meters, and a diameter of up to ten meters. In addition to the fact that these trees are famous large sizes they are also known for being long-lived. The average age of their life is about four thousand years. The only plants to which they are inferior in terms of life are the spinous pines growing in the mountains of the Sierra Nevada. On this unique properties sequoias are endless, as they are one of the few fire-adapted plants.

The most popular tree in the park is giant sequoia General Sherman. It was named after the brave General Sherman, who bravely fought against enemies in civil war. This name was given to the tree at 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 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 span of the crown is forty meters. The weight of the trunk is one ton, one hundred and twenty-one kilograms; the total weight of the tree is one ton, nine hundred and ten kilograms. For a long time it was believed that the age of the tree is about three thousand years. 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 large sequoias in the park, which in the future can claim the title of the largest.

The title of the largest tree on earth General Sherman received after the Cranell 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 larger than that of 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 fell from a tree, about eleven meters long and two meters in diameter. During the fall, 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 hurt. According to scientists, this happened not because of the poor condition of the tree, but as a result of the plant's defensive reaction to adverse 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 gives out about one hundred and twenty kilograms of oxygen per year.