9 Biggest Trees in the World (By Volume)

Trees are always impressive, but some are so massive it can be hard to fathom, and calling them impressive would be an understatement.

While many of the world’s most gigantic trees are Giant Sequoias found in California, numerous other species also hold records. Most are found along the Pacific Coast of North America, but many enormous eucalyptus trees from Tasmania also compete for the largest.

Let’s check out the nine biggest trees in the world by volume!

The 9 Largest Trees in the World by Volume

1. General Sherman – Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum)

California’s Giant Sequoia trees are so big they have ‘giant’ in their name. General Sherman is the biggest of its species, holding the world’s record for the largest tree by volume at 52,508 cubic feet.

Giant Sequoias have massive trunks that often reach over 30 ft (9 m) wide on mature specimens. They also remain thick for quite a ways up their trunk before tapering off, so even though they only hold one of the world’s records for the tallest trees, they hold most of the world records for the biggest trees by volume.

• Volume: 52,508 cubic feet or 1,487 cubic meters
• Height: 274.9 ft or 83.8 m
• Circumference: 102.6 ft or 31.1 m
• Location: Giant Forest in Three Rivers, California, USA

2. Hail Storm – Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens)

Hail Storm is a gigantic Coast Redwood tree that was recently discovered in 2016 and is now considered to be the second largest tree species and the fourth largest tree in the world, surpassed only by three Giant Sequoia, including the famous General Sherman.

While not as wide as General Sherman’s, its impressive height adds enough volume to surpass most other Giant Sequoias.

This behemoth is located in the northwestern corner of California in Jedidiah Smith Redwoods Park.

Before its discovery, Grogan’s Fault in Redwood National Park, California, was considered the biggest Coast Redwood, measuring 38,300 cubic feet.

• Volume: 44,750 cubic feet or 1267 cubic meters
• Height: 308 ft or 93.88 m
• Circumference: 71.59 ft or 21.32 m
• Location: Jedidiah Smith Redwoods, California, USA

3. Tāne Mahuta – Kauri (Agathis australis)

Tāne Mahuta is a massive Kauri, a coniferous tree found in the northern end of New Zealand’s north island. Its name means “God of the Forest” in the native Māori language.

Even though this tree is just a fraction of the height of Hail Storm, its massive trunk is not much smaller than the giant Coast Redwoods.

It was discovered back in 1924 when contractors were doing surveys to develop the State Highway 12 that runs through the forest.

It is believed to be between 1250 and 2500 years old.

Visitors are welcome through a wheelchair-accessible trail.

• Volume: 18,250 cubic feet or 516.7 cubic meters
• Height: 148 ft or 45.2 m
• Circumference: 50.7 ft or 15.44 m
• Location: Waipoua Forest on the North Island of New Zealand

4. Cheewhat Giant – Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata)

Cheewhat Giant, also known as the Cheewhat Lake Cedar, is the most massive Western Red Cedar in the world and the biggest tree in Canada by volume.

This colossal cedar is located in the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada, and is named after the nearby Cheewhat Lake.

It only recently earned the distinction of the largest Western Red Cedar after the death of the Quinalt Lake Cedar in 2016, which measured 17,650 cubic feet or 500 cubic meters. It was believed that root trampling by visitors contributed to its demise.

• Volume: 15,900 cubic feet or 449 cubic meters
• Height: 182 ft or 55.5 m
• Circumference: 62.8 ft or 19.28 m
• Location: Pacific Rim National Park Reserve on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada

5. Two Towers – Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans)

Two Towers is the world’s 5th largest tree species, a Mountain Ash, a type of Eucalyptus tree. It is found in the Styx Valley on the island of Tasmania off the southern coast of Australia.

Two Towers gets its name because it splits into two trunks partway up its massive height, like two tall towers.

This massive giant is 14,000 cubic feet in volume and stands 252.6 feet tall with a circumference of 73.8 feet.

It is believed to be over 500 years old.

• Volume: 14,000 cubic feet or 390 cubic meters
• Height: 252.6 ft or 77 m
• Circumference: 73.8 ft or 22.5 m
• Location: Styx Valley, Tasmania, Australia

6. Red Creek Fir – Coastal Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)

The Red Creek Fir is a massive coastal Douglas Fir found in the San Juan Valley of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. While not the tallest Douglas Fir, it is the world’s biggest Douglas Fir by volume.

This gentle giant is found in a public recreation site and otherwise has no formal protection, although the Ancient Forest Alliance and others are trying to get it formal protection.

Douglas Firs are incredibly long-lived, many, like this one, living 1000 years or more, thanks partly to their incredibly thick bark that enables them to survive most forest fires.

• Volume: 12,300 cubic feet or 349 cubic meters
• Height: 242 ft or 73.8 m
• Circumference: 32 ft or 9.8 m
• Location: San Juan Valley, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada

7. Queets Spruce – Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis)

Queets Spruce is a massive Sitka Spruce found along the Queets River in Olympic National Park in Washington state, USA, near the Pacific Ocean.

While there are some Sitka Spruce trees with an even bigger circumference, this one takes the record for the most massive of its species because of its impressive height combined with its circumference.

Visitors can access this remote beauty in the Olympic National Park.

• Volume: 11,900 cubic feet or 337 cubic meters
• Height: 244.75 ft or 74.6 m
• Circumference: 45.29 ft or 13.8 m
• Location: Queets River in Olympic National Park, Washington state, USA

8. Gothmog – Messmate Stringybark (Eucalyptus obliqua)

Gothmog is a colossal Messmate Stringybark tree found in the Styx Valley in Tasmania. This is the same valley as two other Eucalyptus species that also make the list of the 9 largest tree species in the world, holding records number 5 and 9.

Messmate Stringybark trees are named for their stringy, fibrous bark. And this behemoth gets its nickname from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Ring series, where Gothmog was a commander of the evil Mordor.

Gothmog ties the Queets Spruce in volume, so together, they are the 7th and 8th largest tree species in the world.

• Volume: 11,900 cubic feet or 337 cubic meters
• Height: 174 ft or 53 m
• Circumference: 55.8 ft or 17 m
• Location: Styx Valley, southern Tasmania, Australia

9. Alpine Ash – (Eucalyptus delegatensis)

An unnamed Alpine Ash, another type of massive Eucalyptus tree, held the record for the 9th most voluminous tree in the world until it was destroyed in the 2019 bushfires of Styx Valley in southern Tasmania.

This species also holds the record for being the 2nd tallest Eucalyptus tree in the world, after Centurion, so it is no wonder they also hold records for the most massive.

A picture of this tree could not be found, but as you can see in the photo above, this species is impressive!

• Volume: 10,100 cubic feet or 286 cubic meters
• Height: Unknown
• Circumference: Unknown
• Location: Styx Valley, southern Tasmania, Australia

The Most Massive Trees in the World

I hope you enjoyed learning about these titanic world record-holding trees. Picturing ourselves next to these awe-inspiring giants can make us look very small.

Colossal conifers are common along the Pacific coast of North America, where abundant rainfall allows them to grow to massive sizes. Enormous Eucalyptus trees are also often found in southern Tasmania.

If you visit these living wonders, please be respectful and keep your distance. Root trampling from too many visitors is starting to threaten our gentle giants.

If you loved this article then you might like our articles on the fastest growing trees and tallest trees in the world.