Nature & Environment

World's tallest tropical tree discovered

By T.K. Randall
April 6, 2019

Image: Borneo Rainforest
Credit: T. R. Shankar Raman / CC BY-SA 4.0 (adapted) The Danum Valley Conservation Area in Sabah is home to several of the world's tallest tropical trees and this latest discovery - which has been named Menara (meaning 'tower') - is the tallest yet.

The enormous Yellow Meranti was first spotted last year by a team from the University of Nottingham and measured using 3D scans and drone flights by researchers from the University of Oxford.

One of the researchers, Dr Doreen Boyd, emphasized the importance of the find.

"It's the science telling us these trees do exist, they are reaching heights we have perhaps never anticipated and there will be other tall trees out there that haven't been discovered yet," she said."It tells us that we do need to protect these trees."

One local climber, Unding Jami, described the ascent as "scary and windy."

"But honestly the view from the top was incredible," he said.

"I don't know what to say other than it was very, very, very amazing."


Source: BBC News

Tags: Tree, Malaysia