baumzaehlen - Primeval Forests & Their Trees

McDougall´s Road, Tasmania, Australia

I have included this stand because the tallest known Eucalyptus globulus (Tasmanian blue gum) individuals grow there, the tallest being 90.7 metres ¹ . The tallest tree was 92.3 m tall before top dieback ² . Standing at the edge of old-growth forest next to a clearcut area, this tree, together with its immediate environment, has now been protected. E. regnans (Australian mountain ash) is the only angiosperm in the world with still taller extant individuals. The canopy of the stand is very open so the understory is dense and very difficult for walking.

Tall E. globulus forests are rare nowadays having been extensively cleared for agriculture; there are few significant stands protected within secure reserves ³ .

References:

1 http://gianttrees.com.au/

2 Herrmann, W. (2006): Vulnerability of Tasmanian giant trees. Australian Forestry 69/ 4 pp. 285–298.

3 Harris, S. and Kitchener, A. (2005). From Forest to Fjaeldmark: Descriptions of Tasmania's Vegetation . Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment.