After three years of planning, five expeditions, and two weeks of trekking through the jungle, scientists have reached the site of the tallest tree ever discovered in the Amazon rainforest, standing approximately 25 stories high.
The giant tree, located in the Iratapuru River Natural Reserve in northern Brazil, measures an impressive 88.5 meters tall and is known as the Angelim Vermelho (scientific name: Dinizia excelsa). With a circumference of 9.9 meters, it is the largest tree ever recorded in the Amazon rainforest, according to AFP news agency on October 8.
The Angelim Vermelho tree is the tallest ever found in the Amazon rainforest – (Photo: AFP)
The researchers first identified the giant tree through satellite imagery in 2019 while conducting a three-dimensional mapping project.
At the end of 2019, a team of scholars, environmentalists, and local guides organized an expedition to attempt to reach the Angelim Vermelho. However, after 10 days of navigating treacherous terrain, facing exhaustion, shortages of supplies, and one team member falling ill, they had to turn back.
Three subsequent expeditions to the Jari Valley area of the reserve uncovered several other giant trees, including the tallest seed-producing tree ever recorded in Brazil, measuring 66 meters.
Despite these efforts, the team was still unable to reach the giant Angelim Vermelho tree. Finally, during the fifth expedition from September 12 to September 25, the research team successfully arrived at the site of the Angelim Vermelho.
The team traveled 250 kilometers by boat along rugged rivers and then trekked an additional 20 kilometers through mountainous terrain to reach the Angelim Vermelho. One member of the 19-person expedition was bitten by a venomous spider.
Diego Armando Silva, a forestry engineer from the Federal University of Amapá and the organizer of the expedition, stated that although the journey was perilous, it was well worth it. “It is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen,” said Silva, 33.
The expedition team collected leaves, soil, and other samples to analyze the tree’s age and to address questions about why this area hosts so many giant trees and how much carbon they store, which is crucial for mitigating climate change.
Despite being located in hard-to-reach areas, the giant trees in the reserve are under threat. Loggers highly value Angelim Vermelho wood, and the Iratapuru Reserve ecosystem is being devastated by illegal gold miners.
In the past three years, the average annual deforestation rate in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest has increased by 75% compared to the previous decade.
