Record Breaking Trees

Trees are beautiful and provide us with the air we need to breathe. They can be huge and magnificent or small and compact, but whatever their size or appearance, we need them. Here we celebrate all things tree-related with a look at some incredible record-breaking trees across the world:

1. Fastest growing tree

The fastest growing tree on earth is the Paulownia tomentosa, better known as the Empress of Foxglove tree. It grows purple foxglove-like flowers hence its name. In its first 12 months of life it can grow to be 20 feet in height at a rate of about 1 foot every 3 weeks! You can find this tree in the United States and its natural to China. This species is a mega life-giver as it produces x4 times more oxygen during photosynthesis than any other species of tree! If you have a troublesome tree that’s growing a bit too fast in your garden, call a Tree Surgeon Dorset for advice.

2. Tallest tree

The tallest living tree is the Hyperion, a variety of redwood found on the coast. Its Latin name is Sequoia sempevirens and it was first discovered in California’s Redwood National Park in 2006. The Hyperion is the world’s tallest living tree measuring 379 feet. There could well have been even taller redwoods but logging due to the gold rush meant that the 2-million-acre redwood forest has now been reduced to just 5% of its original size.

3. Oldest tree ever recorded

The oldest known tree was 5,200 years old. It was called Prometheus and was found at Mount Wheeler in Nevada. Sadly, Prometheus was cut down by a geologist in 1963. After chopping it down, 4,867 rings were found but due to the harsh surroundings it lived in, it was deemed to be even older than the number of rings that could be counted.

4. Biggest tree by volume

General Sherman holds the record for being the biggest tree on earth by volume. It’s a giant sequoia and can be found standing proud in California’s Sequoia National Park. It is 2,100 years old and stands at 271 feet tall with a trunk volume of 1,487 meters cubed. The Guinness Book of Records claims that the tree would contain 630,096 feet of timber. The weight of the colossal tree, roots included, is said to be 1,814 tonnes. There was once a tree bigger in volume. The Maple Creek tree was logged on the 1940s.

5. Most dangerous tree

Whilst most trees are open for hugging, there are some we would be better off avoiding. The Manchineel can be seen in the Florida Everglades and on the coast of the Caribbean. Its sap is so acidic and poisonous that just a tiny amount of skin contact will result in painful blisters forming. Get it in your eyes and you could go blind! Avoid its fruit too, as a single bite of the little apple-lookalikes can result in blisters, terrible pain and even death!

6. Oldest-known tree planted by a human

The oldest tree known to have been purposely planted by a human is the sacred fig tree planted 2,300 years ago in Sri Lanka. The tree from which it was propagated from is the famous Bodhi tree, under which Buddha gained enlightenment.