Image Credit: CC BY-SA 4.0 T. R. Shankar Raman
Borneo is home to some of the world’s tallest trees.
Scientists have identified and climbed a record-breaking tree in Borneo that measures a whopping 328ft in height.
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
