Asia’s Tallest Tree Discovered Hiding in the World’s Deepest Canyon Located in China

A tree of enormous size was spotted hiding inside the deepest canyon in the world. It is considered the tallest tree in Asia and the second-tallest tree in the world.

Discovery of the Record-Breaking Tree

A group of researchers from Peking University discovered the gigantic tree in the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, considered the deepest terrestrial canyon in the world. The nature reserve located in Bome County, Nyingchi City, in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, has an average depth of 16,000 feet and a maximum depth of 19,714 feet.

The record-breaking tree stands 335 feet tall, slightly taller than the Statue of Liberty, which measures 305 feet high. Some sources categorize the tree as a Himalayan cypress (Cupressus torulosa), but other statements from Chinese state media report that it is a Tibetan cypress (Cupressus gigantea).

The tree's discovery was made possible by using a drone carrying a lidar sensor. Lidar works like sonar and echolocation but uses laser light instead of sound in charting the surroundings. The experts from Peking University, Xizijiang Conservation Center, and the Shan Shui Conservation Center used the lidar data to create a 3D model of the massive tree. After conducting the field survey, it was confirmed that the huge tree is the largest in Asia.

The newly discovered tree broke the records previously set by the same team of researchers for the tallest tree in China. In April 2022, a 252-foot tree was located in Medog County, while a 272-foot tall fir tree was found in southwest China a month later.

This region in the country hosts a huge number of gigantic trees. The Himalayan and Tibetan cypresses are rare species in the wild, and only a few are found in the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon National Nature Reserve. These trees belong to the first-class protected plant species in China.

The Redwood National Park in California hides the tallest tree in the world, which measures 381 feet. Discovered in 2006, the coastal redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) nicknamed Hyperion is believed to be around 600 to 800 years old.

Since the newly discovered tree in China gets the second-tallest spot, the record of being the third-tallest tree is given to mountain ash in Australia which measures 330 feet. The 327-foot Coast Douglas fir in Oregon gets the fourth spot, while the 323.3-foot yellow meranti in Malaysia receives the fifth spot.

In the long run, the researchers plan to monitor the cypress trees in the canyon to study their properties, such as population, distribution density, and age. They also aim to explore the further regions of Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon to analyze its biodiversity and the unexplored trees.

Unique Features of Cypress Tree

A cypress refers to any of the 12 species of ornamental and timber evergreen coniferous plants which belong to the genus Cupressus. They are distributed throughout Asia, Europe, and North America, particularly in the warm temperate and subtropical regions.

Cypress trees are known for their strange and unique features. They can grow massively as high as 50 to 150 feet and live for a long time ranging from 100 to 600 years.

Many varieties of cypress are distributed worldwide, serving various benefits to humans and the environment. They have been used in traditional medicine to treat headaches, inflammation, and coughs. Since they contain an active ingredient that repels termites, they are used in making products with insect-repelling characteristics. Most of all, cypress trees are considered a good source of construction materials, particularly in making floors, doors, and architectural woodwork.