Tallest tree in Chinese mainland found in Tibet rising to height of 76.8 meters

Photo shows Bhutan pine trees in the Beibeng township of Motuo county, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Photo/Courtesy of Shan Shui Conservation Center)

A 76.8-meter-tall Bhutan pine was spotted and recorded in Beibeng township of Motuo county, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. Breaking the previous record set by a 72-meter Bald Fir Tree King located at Gaoligong Mountain in Yunnan Province, it is currently the tallest tree to be discovered in Chinese mainland.

The Bhutan pine is a narrowly distributed tree species native to the Eastern Himalayas, and its main distribution range encompasses the mountain rainforest and subtropical climate zone at an altitude of 1400-2500 meters.

A total of eight giant trees with a height ranging from 70.2 meters to 76.8 meters were discovered in the township, being an area in which the most giant trees have been found across Chinese mainland. This fully demonstrates the pristine form of the forest ecosystem that characterizes the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon area.