Giant Trees Discovered in Taiwan
Nature's mysterious giants await discovery in Taiwan's deep forests.
1Taiwan's Natural Treasure
Taiwan's steep and rugged interior is home to some of the world's largest trees. Since 2014, the 'Taiwan tree seekers' team has been working to find, measure, and document these giant trees. The team consists of professional tree climbers, ecologists, geologists, and remote sensing specialists. In 2023, an 84.1-meter-tall Taiwania fir was discovered, officially recorded as the tallest known tree in East Asia.
2Geography's Role
Taiwan's geography allows trees of this size to thrive. The island covers approximately 36,000 square kilometers, making it similar in size to Switzerland. Much of the land is mountainous, with 258 peaks rising above 3,000 meters. The highest point, Jade Mountain, reaches 3,952 meters. This elevation range supports diverse vegetation, from humid tropical rainforests to cold alpine tundras.
3Forest Status
About 60% of Taiwan is still forested, with an estimated 950 million trees growing across the island. Industrial logging between 1912 and 1991 destroyed much of the original primary forests. However, the steepest and most inaccessible terrain acted as a natural barrier, preserving significant portions of old-growth forests that logging crews couldn't easily reach.
4Major Discoveries
Organized search efforts began in August 2014 when researchers from the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute (TFRI) conducted a major expedition to the Cilan conservation area. Their goal was to study the famous 'Chilan Three Sisters,' a group of Taiwania firs. Locals had known about these three trees for years, but they had never been carefully measured or scientifically documented. Measurements revealed the tallest tree stood 69.3 meters high with a trunk nearly three meters wide.
5International Attention
In 2017, professional climbers from Australia's 'The Tree Projects' came to Taiwan to photograph the Three Sisters. Their work introduced the extraordinary scale of Taiwan's forests to a global audience. Encouraged by this discovery, the team turned their attention to a more isolated area near Mt. Benya, believed to contain Taiwan's largest concentration of Taiwania firs.
6Challenging Exploration Methods
Reaching the area required a grueling four-day hike while carrying heavy equipment. The expedition also revealed a major flaw in ground-based searches for giant trees: visual estimates in dense, multi-layered old-growth forests can be highly misleading. During this trip, climbers scaled a 71.7-meter tree, but it became clear that traditional ground surveys alone wouldn't suffice.
7Technology's Assistance
Searching among 950 million trees scattered across mountains and deep valleys was like finding a needle in a haystack. To improve efficiency, the team partnered with remote sensing specialists at National Cheng Kung University and began using LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). This advanced 3D scanning method sends laser pulses from an aircraft to create detailed terrain models and estimate individual tree heights.
8Community Contribution and Results
By 2020, the project had expanded into a large community effort. Hundreds of Taiwanese citizens began examining LiDAR profile images, helping researchers eliminate tens of thousands of false candidates. The automated system had incorrectly measured 93% of identified trees. Without citizen scientists, researchers might have spent years visiting trees much shorter than maps suggested. By late 2022, the collaboration produced the 'Taiwan Giant Tree Map,' documenting 941 trees taller than 65 meters.
Original article: Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily — Tayvan'da Dev Ağaçlar Keşfedildi