In the wild it's survival of the fittest, and under the proper kind of stress, plants-just like animals-can be pushed to do extraordinary things. Take Humboldt Honey, a maple tree discovered in July and recently named the world's tallest maple tree.
In the wild it's survival of the fittest, and under the proper kind of stress, plants-just like animals-can be pushed to do extraordinary things. Take Humboldt Honey, a maple tree discovered in July and recently named the world's tallest maple tree.
Arborist Mario Vaden came across Humboldt Hone during a July forest hike in Humboldt Redwoods State Park along the Avenue of the Giants, according to the Times-Standard. He returned to the site in October and then confirmed with fellow "mammoth-tree" hunters online that-at 157.8 feet-Humboldt Honey is the world's tallest maple tree.
Pushing Humboldt Honey to such high heights is the fact most of her neighbors in Redwoods State Park are so tall. Trees in Humboldt Honey's position must either grow "unnaturally" tall or be starved for light by the redwoods, Michael Taylor, a tree enthusiast, told the Times-Standard.
For Vaden, Humboldt Honey is the third "world's tallest" he has found. He has also found the world's tallest pine and hemlock trees. To measure their height, he uses an Impulse 200 LR, a military-designed laser that can accurately measure height to within one centimeter.
So where is Humboldt Honey located? Vaden won't give specifics-that would kill the thrill of the tree hunt, after all-but he did tell the Times-Standard that it is located between Pepperwood, Calif., and Founder's Grove, Calif.
