Tall trees are marvels of nature that have to compete for light with their neighbors, so many have evolved ways to reach enormous heights many may never have thought possible.
These massive beauties are truly a wonder to behold. Trying to imagine a tree taller than an average high-rise building (328 ft or 100 m) can seem impossible, but they really do exist.
Let’s look at the nine tallest trees in the world and find out how tall they are!
How Tall Are The 9 Tallest Trees in The World?
| Rank | Tree Species | Name | Height | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coast Redwood | Hyperion | 380.8 ft (116.07 m) | Redwood National Park, California, USA |
| 2 | Himalayan Cypress | (Unnamed) | 336 ft (102 m) | Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, Tibet, China |
| 3 | Yellow Meranti | Menara | 331 ft (100.8 m) | Danum Valley Conservation Area, Malaysian Borneo |
| 4 | Mountain Ash | Centurion | 330 ft (100.5 m) | Arve Valley, Tasmania, Australia |
| 5 | Sitka Spruce | Raven’s Tower | 329 ft (100.2 m) | Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, California, USA |
| 6 | Douglas Fir | Doerner Fir | 327 ft (99.7 m) | Doerner Fir Trail, Coos County, Oregon, USA |
| 7 | Giant Sequoia | (Unnamed) | 316 ft (96.3 m) | Sherman Creek, Sequoia National Forest, California, USA |
| 8 | Southern Blue Gum | Neeminah Loggorale Meena | 298 ft (90.7 m) | Lonnavel, southern Tasmania, Australia |
| 9 | Noble Fir | (Unnamed) | 295 ft (89.9 m) | Goat Marsh Research Natural Area, Washington, USA |
1. Hyperion – Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens)
Hyperion is the world’s tallest tree. This massive giant stands 380.8 ft (116.07 m) tall. Since it is only between 600 and 800 years old, young for a Coast Redwood, it has not yet finished growing.
This magnificent tree was discovered by naturalists in 2006, who kept its location within Redwood National Park in California, USA, a secret to protect the tree.
The next three tallest trees in the world are also Coast Redwoods discovered in a nearby grove. Helios measures 375 feet (114.09 m), Icarus 371 feet (113.14 m), and Daedalus 363 feet (110.76 m).
- Height: 380.8 ft (116.07 m)
- Location: Redwood National Park in Northern California, USA.
2. Himalayan Cypress (Cupressus torulosa)
The second tallest tree species, or 5th tallest tree overall, measures a whopping 336 ft (102 m) tall. It is an unnamed Himalayan Cypress found in the world’s deepest canyon, Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, in Tibet.
This massive cypress tree was recently discovered in May of 2023 by researchers from Peking University while conducting surveys.
Unfortunately, the entire area faces development pressures and negative impacts from climate change.
However, even before the discovery of this behemoth, the unique ecosystem it grows in has been the focus of conservation efforts. Hopefully, they will protect this newly discovered wonder in time.
- Height: 336 ft (102 m)
- Location: Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, Bomê County, Nyingchi Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, China
3. Menara – Yellow Meranti (Shorea faguetiana)
The world’s third tallest tree species, 6th tallest overall, is a Yellow Meranti tree named Menara, found in the Danum Valley Conservation Area in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.
Menara is a fitting Malay word for “tower.” This giant is the world’s tallest flowering plant, part of the Dipterocarpaceae family of tropical trees found throughout tropical Asia.
Menara was discovered in 2014 during a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) survey examining the earth’s surface features.
This colossal giant held the record for the tallest tree in Asia until 2023, when the massive Himalayan Cypress was discovered in Tibet.
- Height: 331 ft (100.8 m)
- Location: Danum Valley Conservation Area in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo
4. Centurion – Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans)
Centurion is a titanic Australian Mountain Ash found by forestry workers in Tasmania in 2008 while conducting a LiDAR survey in the Arve Valley.
This massive tree is the fourth tallest tree species in the world and the 7th tallest tree overall. It stands an impressive 330 feet (100.5 m) tall.
Sadly, Tasmania experienced catastrophic fires caused by lightning strikes in 2019 that damaged this colossal giant. While Centurian survived the fire, it is believed that the damage it suffered may prevent it from growing any taller.
- Height: 330 ft (100.5 m)
- Location: Arve Valley, Tasmania, Australia
5. Raven’s Tower – Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis)
Raven’s Tower is the world’s 5th tallest tree species, a giant Sitka Spruce discovered by Michael Taylor and Ron Hildebrant in 2001.
Its precise location has been kept secret to protect the tree, but it is located in the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park in Northern California. Fortunately, this area is already protected.
This beauty was 317 feet tall when it was discovered in 2001, and it is still growing today. Recent measurements have it at 329 feet (100.2 m) tall. At that rate, it may surpass some of the other giants ahead of it soon.
- Height: 329 ft (100.2 m)
- Location: Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, California, United States
6. Doerner Fir – Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
The Doerner Fir is a massive Douglas Fir found in Coos County, Oregon, USA – the 6th tallest tree species in the world.
This relatively young giant (450 – 500 years old) measures 327 feet (99.7 m) tall with a diameter of 11.5 ft (3.5 m) and growing; while not the most massive Douglas Fir by volume, it certainly is the tallest.
The Doerner Fir was discovered in 1989, surviving on otherwise heavily logged public land. Fortunately, the Bureau of Land Management has now protected this massive tree.
Visitors are welcome to see the tree via the Doerner Fir Trail.
- Height: 327 ft (99.7 m)
- Location: Doerner Fir Trail, Coos County, Oregon, USA
7. Giant Sequoia – (Sequoiadendron giganteum)
California’s Giant Sequoias are spectacular trees famous worldwide for being the most massive tree by volume due to their enormous trunks that stay quite massive for some ways up instead of tapering off like most tree trunks do.
This unnamed specimen, while not the most massive of its species, is the tallest of its kind, making it the 7th tallest tree species in the world. It currently measures an impressive 316 ft (96.3 m) tall, and it is still growing.
This giant was discovered by Steven Sillet in Sherman Creek in the Sequoia National Forest in California in 2011.
- Height: 316 ft (96.3 m)
- Location: Sherman Creek, Tulare County, Sequoia National Forest, California, USA
8. Neeminah Loggorale Meena – Southern Blue Gum (Eucalyptus globulus)
Neeminah Loggerale Meena, the local native dialect for “Mother and Daughter,” is a Southern Blue Gum tree found in Tasmania off the coast of Australia.
This enormous tree, the 8th tallest tree species in the world, is almost entirely surrounded by clear-cut logging. Fortunately, conservation laws in Tasmania protect any tree that is over 85 m tall. It still routinely faces threats of forest fire but currently is still growing and thriving.
White Knight, a Manna Gum (Eucalyptus viminalis) also found in Tasmania, is not far behind at 292 feet (89 m) and is a popular tourist destination.
- Height: 298 ft (90.7 m)
- Location: Lonnavel, Southern Tasmania, Australia
9. Noble Fir – (Abies procera)
A lovely Noble Fir is the 9th tallest tree species in the world. This unnamed giant is found in the Goat Marsh Research Natural Area in the Pacific Northwest of the USA.
Noble Firs are beautiful fir trees that grow straight and tall with symmetrical crowns. This, along with their gorgeous blue-green needle-like leaves, makes them very popular in the Christmas tree industry.
While one report online stated that this tree is no longer alive, no valid sources backing this up could be found. Let’s hope this beauty is still with us!
- Height: 295 ft (89.9 m)
- Location: Goat Marsh Research Natural Area, Washington, United States
Tall Wonders
There are still so many gigantic trees alive today, and thanks to worldwide conservation efforts, they will still be with us for years to come.
Many of these behemoths are still actively growing today. However, scientists do believe there is a maximum height that trees can achieve of around 425 ft (130 m) due to gravity and needing to draw water from their roots to their crown, which gets increasingly difficult the taller they get.
Still, it will be interesting to see which trees grow taller and how tall they get!
I hope you enjoyed learning about these fascinating living wonders of the world, if you liked reading this then I recommend taking a look at our article on the weirdest trees in the world.
