'
Heaven Sword' crowned as East Asia's tallest tree after a nearly decade-long search
Taiwan, historically known as Formosa, holds a secret deep within its rugged interior: it is one of the rare locations on Earth capable of supporting "giant" trees—specimens that tower over 80 meters in height. Since 2014, a dedicated group, the "Taiwan tree seekers," has been on a mission to locate and document these sky-piercing giants. The multidisciplinary team is a unique blend of professional tree climbers, ecologists, geologists, and remote sensing specialists.
In 2023, this persistence paid off: the team located the reigning champion of the island's forests: an 84.1-meter-tall Taiwania fir (Taiwania cryptomerioides). This massive tree currently holds the title of the tallest tree in all of East Asia. To the Indigenous Rukai people, these gargantuan firs are known by a much more poetic name, "The tree that hits the moon."
The landscape of the island
To understand how these trees grow so large, one must look at the unique geography of Taiwan. The island covers an area of 36,000 square kilometers—roughly the same size as Switzerland. Taiwan is defined by its dramatic mountain systems. The island boasts a staggering 258 peaks that exceed 3,000 meters in elevation, with the highest point, Mt. Jade, reaching 3,952 meters.
It hosts an incredibly rich variety of plant life. It is estimated that 5,000 different species thrive there, creating a spectrum of ecosystems that range from steamy tropical rainforests at sea level to frigid alpine tundra at the highest peaks.
Approximately 60% of the island remains forested and is home to an estimated 950 million trees. While extensive industrial logging between 1912 and 1991 significantly depleted the island's original primary forests, the incredibly steep terrain served as a natural fortress, preserving significant pockets of old-growth forest that were simply too difficult for loggers to reach.
The search for the hidden giants
The formal quest began in August 2014. Researchers from the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute (TFRI), launched their first major expedition into the Cilan conservation area. Their specific target was a legendary group of trees known as the "Chilan Three Sisters." These three giant Taiwania firs had been known to locals for years, but had never been scientifically measured or thoroughly documented.
The team found the tallest of these giants reached 69.3 meters with a trunk diameter of nearly three meters. International attention followed in 2017 when professional climbers from "The Tree Projects" in Australia traveled to Taiwan to fully photograph the Three Sisters, sharing the majesty of Taiwan's forests with the world.
Spurred by this success, the team set sight on a more remote region near Mt. Benya, rumored to hold the largest population of Taiwania firs. This area is located near Great Ghost Lake, a site considered sacred by Indigenous peoples. The journey was grueling, requiring four days of heavy hiking just to reach the site.
This expedition proved to be a turning point; the team realized that identifying the tallest trees from the ground was nearly impossible. Within the dense, multi-layered canopy of an old-growth forest, the eyes can easily be deceived. While they managed to climb a 71.7-meter tree during that trip, they knew they needed a more scientific way to scan the horizon.
The work has been published in Frontiers in Forests and Global Change.
A high-tech solution: LiDAR
With 9.5 million trees spread across deep, inaccessible valleys, the team were essentially looking for a needle in a haystack. To modernize the search, they collaborated with remote sensing experts from National Cheng Kung University to utilize LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging).
LiDAR is a sophisticated 3D scanning technique that transmits laser pulses from an aircraft toward the ground. By measuring how long it takes for the light to bounce back, the system generates a highly detailed 3D map of the landscape, revealing the height of the trees.
A community effort
Due to Taiwan's rugged, uneven terrain, the automatic algorithm often estimates trees to be much higher than they are, for example, when the tree is right next to a steep cliff. Human eyes are much better at recognizing these geological "tricks" than the automatic algorithm, so in 2020 the project became a community effort.
By having hundreds of Taiwanese citizens examine the LiDAR profile images, the team could filter out tens of thousands of false leads. As it turned out, 93% of trees had been mismeasured by the automatic algorithm.
Without the help of citizen scientists to sort through the mountain of data and identify the most likely candidates, the researchers could have wasted years hiking to trees that were far shorter than they appeared on the map. By the end of 2022, this collaborative effort led to the publication of the "Taiwan Giant Tree Map," which officially identified 941 individual trees that exceeded 65 meters in height.
Finding the champion
In January 2023, during the Lunar New Year holiday, they utilized the new map to target the most promising candidate for the title of "tallest tree." This expedition was an endurance test, which involved a 20-kilometer river tracing and two days of steep uphill hiking.
Once the climbers reached the crown and dropped a measuring tape from the very top to the ground, the height was revealed to be 84.1 meters. This tree, christened the "Heaven Sword of the Da'an River," was officially recorded as the tallest specimen in Taiwan and East Asia.
By early 2026, the team's ongoing efforts led to the discovery and climbing of ten different Taiwania trees over 70 meters tall, two of which have broken the 80-meter barrier.
A legacy for the world
The data from the Giant Tree Map also pointed the way to the exceptional "temples of giants." Near Mt. Benya, they found a single hectare of forest containing 11 trees that each exceeded 65 meters. Returning to the Great Ghost Lake area 10 years after the initial expedition, the team were left speechless by a "pure forest" of approximately 30 giant Taiwania firs growing in a dense, ancient cluster.
These trees are vital for the planet's health. In 2024, the researchers and 15 citizen scientists conducted a detailed study of the "Tao Tree" valley, which is home to the island's third-tallest tree, to learn how much carbon dioxide the forest scrubs from the atmosphere and stores in its wood.
The results were staggering: the total carbon density of the forest (even without counting the massive root systems) was 1,384.5 Mg/ha. This makes Taiwan's giant forests some of the most carbon-dense environments in the entire world, comparable to the most famous old-growth forests on Earth. These "trees that hit the moon" are not just natural wonders; they are essential guardians of the environment.
More information
The Journey of Finding the Tallest Tree in Formosa Taiwan, Frontiers in Forests and Global Change (2026). DOI: 10.3389/ffgc.2026.1746112
Provided by Frontiers
'The Heaven Sword' crowned as
East Asia's tallest tree after a nearly decade-long search
Taiwan, historically known as Formosa, holds a secret deep within its rugged interior: it is one of the rare locations on Earth capable of supporting "giant" trees—specimens that tower over 80 meters in height. Since 2014, a dedicated group, the "Taiwan tree seekers," has been on a mission to locate and document these sky-piercing giants. The multidisciplinary team is a unique blend of professional tree climbers, ecologists, geologists, and remote sensing specialists.
In 2023, this persistence paid off: the team located the reigning champion of the island's forests: an 84.1-meter-tall Taiwania fir (Taiwania cryptomerioides). This massive tree currently holds the title of the tallest tree in all of East Asia. To the Indigenous Rukai people, these gargantuan firs are known by a much more poetic name, "The tree that hits the moon."
The landscape of the island
To understand how these trees grow so large, one must look at the unique geography of Taiwan. The island covers an area of 36,000 square kilometers—roughly the same size as Switzerland. Taiwan is defined by its dramatic mountain systems. The island boasts a staggering 258 peaks that exceed 3,000 meters in elevation, with the highest point, Mt. Jade, reaching 3,952 meters.
It hosts an incredibly rich variety of plant life. It is estimated that 5,000 different species thrive there, creating a spectrum of ecosystems that range from steamy tropical rainforests at sea level to frigid alpine tundra at the highest peaks.
Approximately 60% of the island remains forested and is home to an estimated 950 million trees. While extensive industrial logging between 1912 and 1991 significantly depleted the island's original primary forests, the incredibly steep terrain served as a natural fortress, preserving significant pockets of old-growth forest that were simply too difficult for loggers to reach.
The search for the hidden giants
The formal quest began in August 2014. Researchers from the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute (TFRI), launched their first major expedition into the Cilan conservation area. Their specific target was a legendary group of trees known as the "Chilan Three Sisters." These three giant Taiwania firs had been known to locals for years, but had never been scientifically measured or thoroughly documented.
The team found the tallest of these giants reached 69.3 meters with a trunk diameter of nearly three meters. International attention followed in 2017 when professional climbers from "The Tree Projects" in Australia traveled to Taiwan to fully photograph the Three Sisters, sharing the majesty of Taiwan's forests with the world.
Spurred by this success, the team set sight on a more remote region near Mt. Benya, rumored to hold the largest population of Taiwania firs. This area is located near Great Ghost Lake, a site considered sacred by Indigenous peoples. The journey was grueling, requiring four days of heavy hiking just to reach the site.
This expedition proved to be a turning point; the team realized that identifying the tallest trees from the ground was nearly impossible. Within the dense, multi-layered canopy of an old-growth forest, the eyes can easily be deceived. While they managed to climb a 71.7-meter tree during that trip, they knew they needed a more scientific way to scan the horizon.
The work has been published in Frontiers in Forests and Global Change.
A high-tech solution: LiDAR
With 9.5 million trees spread across deep, inaccessible valleys, the team were essentially looking for a needle in a haystack. To modernize the search, they collaborated with remote sensing experts from National Cheng Kung University to utilize LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging).
LiDAR is a sophisticated 3D scanning technique that transmits laser pulses from an aircraft toward the ground. By measuring how long it takes for the light to bounce back, the system generates a highly detailed 3D map of the landscape, revealing the height of the trees.
A community effort
Due to Taiwan's rugged, uneven terrain, the automatic algorithm often estimates trees to be much higher than they are, for example, when the tree is right next to a steep cliff. Human eyes are much better at recognizing these geological "tricks" than the automatic algorithm, so in 2020 the project became a community effort.
By having hundreds of Taiwanese citizens examine the LiDAR profile images, the team could filter out tens of thousands of false leads. As it turned out, 93% of trees had been mismeasured by the automatic algorithm.
Without the help of citizen scientists to sort through the mountain of data and identify the most likely candidates, the researchers could have wasted years hiking to trees that were far shorter than they appeared on the map. By the end of 2022, this collaborative effort led to the publication of the "Taiwan Giant Tree Map," which officially identified 941 individual trees that exceeded 65 meters in height.
Finding the champion
In January 2023, during the Lunar New Year holiday, they utilized the new map to target the most promising candidate for the title of "tallest tree." This expedition was an endurance test, which involved a 20-kilometer river tracing and two days of steep uphill hiking.
Once the climbers reached the crown and dropped a measuring tape from the very top to the ground, the height was revealed to be 84.1 meters. This tree, christened the "Heaven Sword of the Da'an River," was officially recorded as the tallest specimen in Taiwan and East Asia.
By early 2026, the team's ongoing efforts led to the discovery and climbing of ten different Taiwania trees over 70 meters tall, two of which have broken the 80-meter barrier.
A legacy for the world
The data from the Giant Tree Map also pointed the way to the exceptional "temples of giants." Near Mt. Benya, they found a single hectare of forest containing 11 trees that each exceeded 65 meters. Returning to the Great Ghost Lake area 10 years after the initial expedition, the team were left speechless by a "pure forest" of approximately 30 giant Taiwania firs growing in a dense, ancient cluster.
These trees are vital for the planet's health. In 2024, the researchers and 15 citizen scientists conducted a detailed study of the "Tao Tree" valley, which is home to the island's third-tallest tree, to learn how much carbon dioxide the forest scrubs from the atmosphere and stores in its wood.
The results were staggering: the total carbon density of the forest (even without counting the massive root systems) was 1,384.5 Mg/ha. This makes Taiwan's giant forests some of the most carbon-dense environments in the entire world, comparable to the most famous old-growth forests on Earth. These "trees that hit the moon" are not just natural wonders; they are essential guardians of the environment.
More information
The Journey of Finding the Tallest Tree in Formosa Taiwan, Frontiers in Forests and Global Change (2026). DOI: 10.3389/ffgc.2026.1746112
Provided by Frontiers
« L’Épée Céleste », couronnée plus grand arbre d’Asie de l’Est après près de dix ans de recherches
Par Frontiers
Édité par Sadie Harley, révisé par Robert Egan
Notes de la rédaction
L’essentiel
Ajouter comme source privilégiée
« L’Épée Céleste », le plus grand arbre d’Asie de l’Est, culmine à 84,1 mètres. Crédit : Steven Pearce
Taïwan, anciennement Formose, recèle un secret au cœur de son territoire accidenté : c’est l’un des rares endroits au monde capables d’abriter des arbres « géants », des spécimens dépassant les 80 mètres de hauteur. Depuis 2014, un groupe passionné, les « Chercheurs d’arbres de Taïwan », s’est donné pour mission de localiser et de documenter ces géants qui percent le ciel. Cette équipe multidisciplinaire réunit des grimpeurs d’arbres professionnels, des écologues, des géologues et des spécialistes de la télédétection.
En 2023, cette persévérance a porté ses fruits : l’équipe a localisé le champion incontesté des forêts de l’île : un sapin de Taïwan (Taiwania cryptomerioides) de 84,1 mètres de haut. Cet arbre colossal détient actuellement le titre d’arbre le plus haut d’Asie de l’Est. Pour le peuple autochtone Rukai, ces sapins gigantesques portent un nom beaucoup plus poétique : « L’arbre qui touche la lune ».
Le paysage de l’île
Pour comprendre comment ces arbres atteignent de telles dimensions, il faut s’intéresser à la géographie unique de Taïwan. L’île couvre une superficie de 36 000 kilomètres carrés, soit environ la même taille que la Suisse. Taïwan se caractérise par ses impressionnants massifs montagneux. L’île compte pas moins de 258 sommets de plus de 3 000 mètres d’altitude, le point culminant, le mont Jade, atteignant 3 952 mètres.
Les forêts géantes de Taïwan comptent parmi les environnements les plus riches en carbone au monde. Crédit : Steven Pearce
L'île abrite une incroyable diversité végétale. On estime que 5 000 espèces différentes y prospèrent, créant un éventail d'écosystèmes allant des forêts tropicales humides et luxuriantes au niveau de la mer à la toundra alpine glaciale des plus hauts sommets.
Environ 60 % de l'île est encore boisée et abrite environ 950 millions d'arbres. Si l'exploitation forestière industrielle intensive entre 1912 et 1991 a considérablement réduit les forêts primaires originelles de l'île, le relief extrêmement escarpé a constitué une forteresse naturelle, préservant d'importantes poches de forêt ancienne, tout simplement trop difficiles d'accès pour les bûcherons.
À la recherche des géants cachés
La quête officielle a débuté en août 2014. Des chercheurs de l'Institut de recherche forestière de Taïwan (TFRI) ont lancé leur première grande expédition dans la zone de conservation de Cilan. Leur objectif précis : un groupe d'arbres légendaires connus sous le nom des « Trois Sœurs de Cilan ». Ces trois sapins géants de Taiwania étaient connus des habitants depuis des années, mais n'avaient jamais fait l'objet de mesures scientifiques ni d'une documentation exhaustive.
L'équipe a constaté que le plus grand de ces géants atteignait 69,3 mètres de hauteur, avec un tronc de près de trois mètres de diamètre. L'attention internationale s'est portée sur ces arbres en 2017, lorsque des grimpeurs professionnels de l'organisation australienne « The Tree Projects » se sont rendus à Taïwan pour photographier intégralement les Trois Sœurs, partageant ainsi la majesté des forêts taïwanaises avec le monde entier.
Encouragée par ce succès, l'équipe a jeté son dévolu sur une région plus reculée près du mont Benya, réputée pour abriter la plus grande population de sapins de Taiwania. Cette zone se situe près du Grand Lac Fantôme, un site sacré pour les peuples autochtones. Le voyage fut éprouvant, nécessitant quatre jours de marche intensive pour atteindre le site.
Cette expédition s'est avérée déterminante : l'équipe a réalisé qu'identifier les arbres les plus hauts depuis le sol était quasiment impossible. Au sein de la canopée dense et complexe d'une forêt ancienne, la vue est facilement trompée. Bien qu'ils soient parvenus à grimper à un arbre de 71,7 mètres lors de cette expédition, ils savaient qu'il leur fallait une méthode plus scientifique pour scruter l'horizon.
Leurs travaux ont été publiés dans la revue Frontiers in Forests and Global Change.
Une solution de pointe : le LiDAR
Avec 9,5 millions d’arbres disséminés dans des vallées profondes et inaccessibles, l’équipe cherchait une aiguille dans une botte de foin. Pour moderniser la recherche, elle a collaboré avec des experts en télédétection de l’Université nationale Cheng Kung afin d’utiliser le LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging).
Le LiDAR est une technique sophistiquée de numérisation 3D qui émet des impulsions laser depuis un aéronef vers le sol. En mesurant le temps de retour de la lumière, le système génère une carte 3D très détaillée du paysage, révélant la hauteur des arbres.
Un effort collectif
En raison du relief accidenté de Taïwan, l’algorithme automatique surestime souvent la hauteur des arbres, par exemple lorsqu’ils se trouvent au bord d’une falaise abrupte. L’œil humain étant bien plus performant que l’algorithme pour déceler ces particularités géologiques, le projet est devenu un effort collectif en 2020.
En faisant examiner les images de profil LiDAR par des centaines de citoyens taïwanais, l'équipe a pu éliminer des dizaines de milliers de fausses pistes. Il s'est avéré que 93 % des arbres avaient été mal mesurés par l'algorithme automatique.
Sans l'aide des citoyens scientifiques pour trier l'immense quantité de données et identifier les candidats les plus probables, les chercheurs auraient pu perdre des années à parcourir la carte pour atteindre des arbres bien plus petits qu'ils n'y paraissaient. Fin 2022, cet effort collectif a abouti à la publication de la « Carte des arbres géants de Taïwan », qui recensait officiellement 941 arbres dépassant les 65 mètres de hauteur.
À la recherche du champion
En janvier 2023, pendant les vacances du Nouvel An lunaire, ils ont utilisé la nouvelle carte pour cibler le candidat le plus prometteur au titre d'« arbre le plus haut ». Cette expédition fut une véritable épreuve d'endurance, impliquant la traversée d'une rivière sur 20 kilomètres et deux jours de randonnée en montée abrupte.
Une fois parvenus à la cime, les grimpeurs ont mesuré la hauteur de l'arbre à l'aide d'un mètre ruban, révélant ainsi 84,1 mètres. Baptisé « Épée Céleste de la Rivière Da'an », cet arbre a été officiellement reconnu comme le plus grand spécimen de Taïwan et d'Asie de l'Est.
Début 2026, les efforts continus de l'équipe ont permis la découverte et l'ascension de dix sapins de Taïwan de plus de 70 mètres de haut, dont deux ont franchi la barre des 80 mètres.
Un héritage pour le monde
Les données de la Carte des Arbres Géants ont également révélé l'existence de ces exceptionnels « temples des géants ». Près du mont Benya, ils ont découvert un hectare de forêt abritant onze arbres dépassant chacun les 65 mètres. De retour dans la région du Grand Lac Fantôme dix ans après la première expédition, l'équipe a été émerveillée par une « forêt pure » d'une trentaine de sapins de Taïwan géants, formant un massif dense et ancien.
Ces arbres sont essentiels à la santé de la planète. En 2024, des chercheurs et 15 citoyens scientifiques ont mené une étude approfondie de la vallée de l'« Arbre Tao », qui abrite le troisième plus grand arbre de l'île, afin de déterminer la quantité de dioxyde de carbone que la forêt absorbe de l'atmosphère et stocke dans son bois.
Les résultats sont stupéfiants : la densité totale de carbone de la forêt (même sans compter les vastes systèmes racinaires) atteint 1 384,5 Mg/ha. Les forêts géantes de Taïwan figurent ainsi parmi les environnements les plus riches en carbone au monde, comparables aux plus célèbres forêts primaires de la planète. Ces « arbres qui ont touché la lune » ne sont pas seulement des merveilles naturelles ; ils sont des gardiens essentiels de l'environnement.
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RESU8ME
L’Épée Céleste » couronnée plus grand arbre d’Asie de l’Est après près de dix ans de recherche
Un Taiwania cryptomerioides de 84,1 mètres, identifié grâce à la technologie LiDAR et à la science participative, est désormais reconnu comme le plus grand arbre d’Asie de l’Est. Le relief accidenté de Taïwan a préservé des forêts primaires, permettant la survie de nombreux arbres géants, dont plus de 941 dépassent les 65 mètres. Ces forêts présentent une densité de carbone extrêmement élevée (1 384,5 Mg/ha), ce qui en fait des puits de carbone d’importance mondiale.
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COMMENTAIRES
Je ne suis pas spécialiste de biologie végétale mais je m 'étonne qu'on ai mis si longtemps pour dé couvrir ces champpions de plus de 65 M !Et
a ce propos je tiens a rappeler cei :Sequoia gigantea :avec ses 116 mètres de hauteur, il surpasse de loin tous les arbres d'Europe. Mais comment pousse-t-il et peut-on cultiver un séquoia chez nous ? Découvert le 8 septembre 2006 au cœur de la Californie, Hypérion est un séquoia à feuilles d'if qui défie tous les records.
Le vieux chène de mon jardin n"atteint que 20 metres environ mais doit dépasser un siecle d age !
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More information
The Journey of Finding the Tallest Tree in Formosa Taiwan, Frontiers in Forests and Global Change (2026). DOI: 10.3389/ffgc.2026.1746112
