Saturday 30 September 2006

Big trees

Reuters reports:

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 previous titleholder, a botanist said on Friday.

Humboldt State University Professor Steve Sillett told Reuters the record-setting tree, named Hyperion, is 379.1 feet (115.5 metres) tall, besting the previous record holder, the 370.5-foot(112.9 metre)-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, Sillett said.