Tallest tree in the world

[mike_van]

This was on Yahoo news this morning - "A redwood tree discovered in a remote California forest has turned out to be the world's tallest tree, edging out one nearby that had been the titleholder. Prof. Steve Sillett of Humboldt State University said the record-setting tree, named Hyperion, was 379.1 feet tall, bettering the previous record holder, the 370.5-foot-tall Stratosphere Giant. Researchers exploring remote and rugged terrain this summer in the Redwood National and State Parks along California's northernmost coast also discovered two other redwoods taller than the Stratosphere Giant, suggesting there had been many more massive ancient redwoods in the area, Professor Sillett said."

I can't even imagine a tree this size, someday i'm going to have to see one - 

[Daren]

I can't even imagine a tree this size, someday i'm going to have to see one - 

That is one of the things on my to do list also.

[sawguy21]

I have seen the redwoods south of Eureka. Humbling to say the least.

[Left Coast Chris]

We vacation there at least once a year.  No mater how many times you see them they still are unbelievable.  There are a couple hollowed out to drive your car through.

[solodan]

They have actually recently found a few taller than the Stratosphere Giant.
One in particular is the Icarus, which has a dead top and is   371.2.  Will they find one 400 feet? 8)  The coastal redwoods are a must see, and so are their cousins the Giant Sequoia  . Though not as tall as the coastal, but the Sequoias are larger, and they are also still growing rapidly. The only trees older than the Sequoias are the bristlecones, which are just on the other side of the Sierra from the Sequoias.

[rebocardo]

I bet climbing one of those makes you less concerned about material wealth by the time you get to the top and look out over everything on something older then many nations.

[Ianab]

They are the tallest LIVING tree, but they have some stiff competition.

The tallest RECORDED tree is 435ft, a Eucalyptus in Aussie. That tree had lost it's top before it was measured too 

http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/

I haven't seen the original redwood forests, but the young trees that are growing in NZ are pretty impressive already

Cheers

Ian

[SwampDonkey]

Even sitka spruce and coastal Douglas fir ('Oregon Pine' to Aussies ;) ) are pretty impressive trees to. Measured lots of spruce over 220 feet tall, (15-20,000 bd ft trees ) compare that to our white pine in the east that top out around 125 feet or so. 325 foot Douglas Fir have been recorded and the legendary 385 foot one, beleived to be a lumberjacks tale. ;) Just spend a couple years measuring the heights of those spruce along river bottoms and let me know how your kneck feels. :D :D :D

[Tillaway]

I had the fortune or misfortune of cruising old growth redwood.  I had one on a cruise plot that was 320' to the break... it was broken at about 20" diameter.  We had numerous douglas fir near 250' to 280' or so and even the record grand fir a 270'.  I cruised an adjacent parcel of second growth redwood that was 80 years old and and about 240' to 260' height for the dominant trees.  I would venture a guess and say 150 year old redwood would be the tallest  since most shrink from breakage as they age.

[low_48]

When I was a farm boy in Central IL I couldn't even figure out were telephone poles came from. I had not seen a tree that was over 10' to the first branch. Not even down by the creek. Funny thing about those cottonwoods. Lots of reading latter I found out where they came from, but didn't see any till 1997. A trip to the College of the Redwoods in Fort Bragg, Ca. became a religious experiece for me. 200' coastal redwoods are such an experience. I took so many pictures that do nothing to describe these beautiful giants, but still bring back such great memories. Mother Nature...... ain't she somethin'.

[solodan]

When I was a farm boy in Central IL I couldn't even figure out were telephone poles came from. I had not seen a tree that was over 10' to the first branch.

Funny thing was it was the exact opposite for me. I just assumed all conifers grew huge. I lived in California my whole life and I don't think I ever ventured outside of California till I was 21. That is when I realized how big some of the trees are here. 8)

[Tom]

Talking about being opposite

I grew up around pines in florida and big pines and cypress in Georgia.  When I went to Minnihaha to visit Mom at my little brother's house, I drove from the 20th anniversary of Wood Mizer in Indianapolis, Ind. to Des Moine, Iowa and then North toward Rochester Minn.

There were two things that astounded me about that trip.  One was, there is a Milledgeville, Indiana.  I thought Milledgeville, Georgia was the only one.  It was the capitol of Georgia during the Great Conflagration and I went to school there too.  What a surprise to drive through one in Indiana.

The other thing was almost as startling.  "My God!!  They've got no trees", I thought as I drove through mile after mile after mile after mile.... of open corn fields.

[Phorester]

So, Tom, what's the tallest corn stalk on record?  ;D

Just think, most of those tall trees will be even taller next year.

[timberjack240]

see one... heck i wanna cut one  ;D .......man wooood  the splinters ever fly when it hit the ground 8)

[sawguy21]

From a cornstalk ??? ;)

[Tom]

 :D :D :D :D
A dogged cornstalk has another completely different conotation to me than one put on a sawmill.

[leweee]

Corn is one of the tallist members of the grass family :P
Also produces the most tonnage/acre of any grain crop in North America. ;D

[Timburr]

Nay. I'm going to burst your corn bubble  ;D Have you considered bamboo as a grass?

The Daddy of them all is dendrocalamus giganteus which grows an impressive 1 metre a day  reaching a possible terminal height of 39m (128' to you imperialists) in just 1 month.
They reckon SOME can even see it growing  ???

[Don P]

There was a piece on NPR some months ago about the theoretical limits of tree height. I think it had to do with how tall a water column could be without breaking surface tension ???. I remember those trees were mighty close to as tall as they figured they could be.

[rebocardo]

I had a property where a bright person planted bamboo as a fence. Not only did it kill and over grow just about everything, I swear it did grow a foot a day until it reached about eight feet when it slowed down. Round up and other things did nothing to it. I would count it as one of the fastest growing grasses.

[SwampDonkey]

Some people have planted an invasive variety of bamboo around here to. It grows up to 8 feet in a summer and dies down in winter. You can't kill the stuff either. I had a tiny bit of it, one stalk, and I keep pulling and digging it and it keeps coming.  >:(

[Don P]

I've tried in the past several times to remove bamboo from someone's property. Its about as easy as removing kudzu. We have a friend that wanted a bamboo privacy screen a few years ago. Several of us tried to dissuade her, some of us were rather pointed  ;D. "Oh no, this is non invasive bamboo". This summer it escaped and I saw the backhoe up there installing steel sheet trying to contain it  :.

[Tom]

It sure makes a good fishing pole.  ;D

Ron

[PineNut]

I have had some success in controlling some of the smaller bamboo (10-15 ft high and 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter.)  It is very labor intensive but I cut the bamboo off near the ground and then treat the cut ends with UNDILUTED week killer.  I have used 2-4-D but would also consider using Roundup. You will probably have to repeat the process a few times.

[Ed_K]

 I use roundup mixed with diesel, 50/50 mix. I check once a week during late spring to middle summer. And paint it on the leaves when I see some coming up. After 2 summers its pretty well gone.