Posted on 09/30/2006 3:54:35 AM PDT by Dallas59
REDWOOD NATIONAL PARK, Calif. - Researchers have confirmed that a redwood named Hyperion in a remote Northern California forest is the world's tallest tree. ADVERTISEMENT
Steve Sillett, a forestry professor at Humboldt State University, recently climbed Hyperion and measured it at 379.1 feet, one foot taller than previously thought.
Hyperion, which grows in Redwood National Park, edged aside the previous record holder, a 370.5-foot redwood called Stratosphere Giant in nearby Humboldt State Park.
Researchers had to wait until the end of the endangered marbled murrelet's nesting season to measure Hyperion and confirm its status as the world's tallest living thing.
If it weren't for damage caused by woodpeckers at its top, Hyperion could have reached 380 feet, researchers said.
Michael Taylor and Chris Atkins, the naturalists who initially found Hyperion, said the chances of finding a taller living organism are slim because they have already searched about 95 percent of the prime habitat for big redwoods.
Officials would not pinpoint the exact location of Hyperion because they are worried that too many visitors could damage the tree's delicate ecosystem.
Lots of fine products are grown in Humboldt County.
The produce is first rate, and the.....uh....other local product is even better.
And in other tree news, algore has been found to be the dumbest tree in existence at any time in history.
bump
Size Obsession!!!!
Like what???
I'll put it this way....
The last time I planned on purchasing some of the 'other' local product, Willie Nelson bought the entire crop.
I hate Willie Nelson now.
So what happens if I wanted to climb this tree?
Couldnt the measuremnts have been taken without violating the trees privacy? How about with a transit.
How come Forestry guys get to climb trees while they try to keep the rest of us out of the forest?, Its like Greenpeace getting to chase whales while they lock up anyone else trying.
Researchers for trees? How much money did this research cost the U.S.? Appears to be a project that 4th graders would look into...
ROTFL!
...And still growing!
Makes the hundred foot oaks in my yard look like babies.
YES, size matters!
If it weren't for damage caused by woodpeckers at its top, Hyperion could have reached 380 feet.....Hello?
How long before five logging protesters find it and decide to climb it and set up house?
I bet the tree still gets spam emails asking if it wants to be bigger.
This reminds me of the researchers who wanted to determine the oldest tree - a Bristlecone Pine in Nevada. To count rings, they used a special type of Swedish drill bit to remove a core, but the bit broke. So, they cut the tree down. Good ole WPN 114 iirc.
If they really want an accurate height measurement, maybe cutting it down is the answer?
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