World’s tallest pine discovered in Oregon

Oregon is home to the world’s tallest pine tree, according to a story in today’s Mail Tribune. The following is an excerpt from the story about two men who discovered the tallest pine (268.35 feet) in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest:

Unless you are an eagle soaring above the conifer forest or a big-tree hunter with an eagle eye, chances are you wouldn’t give the ponderosa pine a second glance. After all, it is but one of many wooden spires reaching into the green forest canopy high overhead in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.

But mammoth-tree hunters Michael Taylor of Trinity County, Calif., and Mario Vaden of Beaverton instantly knew on Jan. 3 they had discovered a new pine king.

“We were walking along, saw the top of the tree sticking up, and we both said, ‘Wow!'” Taylor said. “I knew right away it was the tallest.”

“We have a new world record,” Vaden said.

Not only is the ponderosa, at 268.35 feet high, the tallest known of its species, it is also the tallest known pine tree of any pine species on the planet, they say.

Consider this: The pine’s height is roughly 32 feet shy of a football field turned on end.

Ponderosa Pine was Friends of Trees’ “staff pick” for October. Read why Neighborhood Trees Specialist Kate Farrington chose it as her favorite tree. We still have some available (and many other species, too) for homeowners to buy this year. Just be sure your tree has plenty of room to grow!

–TR