World Record Tree Discovery News

This page includes information about M. D. Vaden tree discoveries and world record finds from some years ago when I spent more time doing what's often referred to as BIG TREE HUNTING. Several finds were of scientific interest pertaining to the growth potential of some species. Nowadays I'm more focused on photography in the forest, primarily the coast redwoods of northern California and southern Oregon.

Update 2025: Tallest non-Indigenous Sequoiadendron. In 2020 Mario Vaden and son Michael found measured a Sequoiadendron near Eagle Point, Oregon, planted around 1928. The height was 212 feet, remeasured the year following at 214 feet. Calls were made to the researchers Dr. Sillett and Dr. Van Pelt who said it was the tallest they knew of outside Sierra Nevada mountains native range where Sequoidendron grow naturally. Provided video is still up, here's a link showing some drone views at Youtube

 

Discovery 2014 | USA Largest Known Coast Redwoods

2009 - 2018 quite a few coast redwood giants were discovered in Redwood National and State Parks. Several became new largest known coast redwoods and the one in the photo to the right is the largest single trunk Sequoia sempervirens discovered in the last 50 years.

In 2014 - 2015 four new diameter champions were found for the coast redwood species. The widest of these, called Capt. Jack Sparrow moved coast redwood ahead of all Sequoiadendron for the largest known single trunk diameter in the USA and the world.

One of these coast redwoods is estimated 4000 years or older raising the question whether it could be the world's oldest tree, but with no way to ascertain the answer.

Read more: THE BIG KAHUNA

 

Discovery 2012 | USA World's Tallest Maple

October 2012, Mario Vaden found and measured Humboldt Honey a new world's tallest maple. This bigleaf baple became the new height record for the entire maple (Acer) genus. It was found July 19 2012, south of Eureka in Humboldt Redwoods State Park near Avenue of the Giants

Read more: 2012 Maple Discovery

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World's Tallest Pines Discovered 2011

January 2011, Mario Vaden and Michael Taylor drove up to Rogue River Siskiyou National Forest for tall pine tree exploring. 4 new world's tallest pine trees were found, all four being Ponderosa.

The Mail Tribune cover story was written by Paul Fattig, January 23, 2011.

A team of arborists, Ascending the Giants, was invited to climb and measure using a tape-drop method. The climb revealed the accuracy of Michael Taylor's ground-based laser measuring, because their tape drop differed by only 1 millimeter.

That climb by Ascending the Giants was October 11th, later that same year.

Read more: 2011 Pine Discovery

 

2011 - World's Tallest Hemlock
Found when the 2011 Tsunami from Japan hit the USA west coast. Dr. Sillett and his wife Marie were in the same park that day and confirmed the species and height. Read more: Record Western Hemlock Tsunami

 

2011 - World's Tallest Live Top Douglas Fir
Read more: Tallest Douglas Firs

 

2009 - World's Tallest Port Orford Cedar
Read more: Record Port Orford Cedar

 

World's Tallest Christmas Tree 2011

December 2010, Mario Vaden was contacted by Richard Stenger of Humboldt Convention and Visitor's Bureau in Eureka, California, regarding Ferndale's live Christmas tree.

The two drove to Ferndale to laser measure a 150 ft. Sitkal Spruce. Meanwhile, Coeur d' Alene claimed to have the world's tallest Chrismas tree, supposedly a 160 ft. pine.

The Ferndale Spruce measured 151.25 feet.

This triggered a news food fight. Boasting and re-measuring continued in Idaho as Ferndale and Coeur d' Alene rivaled for the world's tallest living Christmas tree.

In the end Ferndale took the crown. The Coeur d' Alene Press finally ran a story in 2011. Coeur d' Alene incorrectly measured years earlier and the re-measure proved that Idaho's tree was shorter.

 

Discovery | 2011 | Falcon's Tower Sitka Spruce

Near Manzanita and Oswald West State Park. A contender for the Oregon champion Sitka Spruce. Technically Falcon's Tower has more points than the Cape Meares Spruce. Cape Meares may have more wood volume but champion trees on registries are ranked by points and Falcon's Tower is not on a registry.

Read more: Largest Spruce Trees in Oregon

 

Photos below from the 2011 measuring of the world record pine near Grants Pass. In the top right photo, the climber is not ascending but traversing horizontally through the air about 200 feet up from another adjacent Ponderosa Pine that he is climbing in the left photo.