"Asia's tallest tree" is in my country! A 102.3-meter-tall cypress tree was discovered in Tibet. How can it grow so tall?

How tall is the tallest tree in Asia?

On the 26th, the reporter learned from the Forestry and Grassland Bureau of the Tibet Autonomous Region that a joint biodiversity survey team led by Peking University recently discovered a 102.3-meter-tall Tibetan cypress in Tongmai Town, Bomi County, Linzhi City, Tibet, in the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon National Nature Reserve. This discovery broke the record for the tallest tree in Asia.

The discovery refreshed the list of the world's tallest trees by species, making it the second tallest tree species in the world after the American coast redwood.

Image source: Xinhua News Agency

Constantly refreshing heights

In May 2022, a 76.8-meter-tall Bhutan pine was recorded in Gelin Village, Beibeng Township, Medog County, breaking the previous record of the 72-meter Baldcypress tree king in Gaoligong Mountain, Yunnan, and is currently the tallest tree known in mainland China. The research team named this tallest Bhutan pine tree "Xindabu", which means "sacred tree" in the local Monba language.

But just 10 days after the Bhutan pine sat on the throne of "King of Trees", a team from the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences announced that during an investigation in Tibet, they had discovered large tracts of virgin forests of tall Abies yunnanensis. The tallest tree was 83.2 meters tall and had a breast diameter of 207 centimeters, directly breaking the record for the tallest tree in China.

How to measure the height of a tree?

What does it mean to have a 102.3-meter-tall tree?

Generally speaking, the floor height of the commercial housing we live in is 2.9 meters. If calculated as 3 meters, 102.3 meters is equivalent to the height of a 34-story building.

It is definitely impractical to measure such a tall tree with a ruler, and the difficulty of climbing the tree alone is not enough.

In May 2023, under the guidance and support of the Nature Reserve Management Department of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, the Forestry and Grassland Bureau of the Tibet Autonomous Region, and the Forestry and Grassland Bureau of Linzhi City, a joint biodiversity survey team composed of the research groups of Guo Qinghua and Lu Zhi from Peking University, the Xizijiang Ecological Conservation Center, Beijing Digital Green Earth Technology Co., Ltd., and the Shanshui Nature Conservation Center used drone lidar to accurately map the clustering areas of Tibetan cypress and confirmed the possibility of the existence of "tall trees" in the area.

By combining drones with backpack lidar, the research team accurately measured the clustering area of ​​giant cypress trees in Tibet and obtained an accurate three-dimensional point cloud model of the giant tree group. The research team obtained detailed three-dimensional point cloud data of the tree, measured its breast diameter to be 293 cm, and used drone photography to obtain a full-length photo of the giant tree.

Point cloud model of the tallest cypress tree in Tibet.

Through this survey, in addition to the tallest cypress tree in Tibet, a large number of trees over 85 meters were discovered, including 25 trees over 90 meters high, which greatly improved the tree height record in China and even Asia. This is the area with the highest height and distribution density of giant trees discovered through precise measurements in my country and even in Asia.

At the same time, quite a few studies have shown that forests with taller trees have higher biodiversity. Tall trees and forests with multiple tree species are important for the maintenance of biodiversity.

Why can trees grow so tall?

The tallest trees in the world are mainly distributed in the Amazon forests of the United States, Malaysia, and Brazil, and their heights are all over 100 meters. Including the tallest trees in China, these extremely tall trees grow in the depths of nature without being disturbed or affected by humans.

Tibetan cypress is mainly distributed in the southeastern part of Tibet, China, and is only found in small quantities in the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon National Nature Reserve. Its distribution area is very narrow and its population is sparse, so it is listed as a national first-class key protected plant. The 102.3-meter-tall Tibetan cypress discovered in this survey has increased the academic community's understanding of this rare tree species.

Why can there be so many trees tens of meters or even hundreds of meters tall here? It is mainly due to the unique natural environment here. First of all, the mountains are high and the valleys are deep. The trees growing in the canyons are not hit by strong winds and lightning, because the surrounding mountains protect the trees like walls. In addition, there is abundant rainfall in this area, and all conditions are very suitable for trees to grow upwards, so there are a lot of tall trees.

Tall trees mean strong competitiveness, and if there are more tall trees and "king trees" in a forest, it proves that the productivity of the environment ecosystem is rich. The so-called productivity of an ecosystem refers to the total amount of organic matter or organisms produced per unit area or volume within a certain period of time, which can be expressed in quantity, weight or energy.

A high productivity of an ecosystem means that it has a high ability to accumulate carbon and has the potential to produce and maintain a large number of organisms, so that it can breed more tall trees. The place that can breed the "king of trees" is of course an environment with good original ecology and high productivity.

In the past two years, many scientific research teams have applied innovative scientific and technological means and methods to biodiversity research and protection, and have continuously discovered tall trees in the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon area, continuously breaking the record of tall trees in my country. This fully reflects the authenticity and uniqueness of the forest ecosystem in the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon area and the protection value of biodiversity.

Currently, the number of "tall trees" is very rare worldwide, because the existence of tall trees requires suitable soil and climatic conditions, and is away from restrictive factors such as wind, fire, lightning, and human interference. They usually grow in virgin forest areas with very rich biodiversity. Studies have shown that the existence of tall trees can reveal the authenticity and integrity of the ecosystem in the area where they grow. In addition, tall trees themselves have very complex branching systems and vertical structures, which provide the necessary microclimate and ideal living and habitat environment for some endangered animals and plants. Therefore, tall trees play an irreplaceable role in biodiversity and ecological value.

We believe that there may be taller trees to be discovered and measured in a primeval forest somewhere in China.

Comprehensive sources: Xinhua News Agency, People's Daily, Beijing Daily, etc.