Taiwan Study Reveals 84.1-Meter Heaven Sword as Island’s Tallest Tree
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jun 23
Taiwan Study Reveals 84.1-Meter Heaven Sword as Island’s Tallest Tree
1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 23
Summary
An 84.1-meter Taiwania cryptomerioides—named Heaven Sword of the Da’an River—has been identified as Taiwan’s tallest recorded tree in a study published this month.
More than 10 years of forest mapping, lidar scans and on-site climbing led Dr. Rebecca Hsu’s team to the giant, which is probably about 1,000 years old and stands taller than an average 20-storey building.
Reaching and measuring the tree required days of hiking through steep terrain and river crossings, because researchers said tape-and-climb methods remain more accurate than remote sensing alone in Taiwan’s rugged forests.
That fieldwork also highlighted lidar’s limits: 93% of reviewed tree-height measurements were inaccurate, even as the technology helps researchers locate more unrecorded giants in remote forests.
The find underscores both biodiversity and climate stakes, with Taiwan researchers estimating tall-tree death rates at 4% to 5% over the past decade as stronger typhoons, landslides, drought and wildfire threaten ancient trees worldwide.
With giants found in Taiwan and the Amazon, where will the next hidden forest titan be discovered?
As typhoons intensify, can our current conservation efforts truly save these ancient forest giants?
Now that the world's giants are mapped, are they more at risk from human impact than from nature?
"East Asia’s Tallest Tree Found: Taiwan’s 84.1m ‘Heaven Sword’ and the Future of Giant Tree Conservation"
Overview
The discovery of East Asia's tallest tree, "The Heaven Sword," was the result of a focused search that began in 2014, led by researchers from the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute. Their expedition into the remote Cilan Conservation Area aimed to investigate legendary giant trees known as the "Chilan Three Sisters." Despite the challenges of dense, protected forests, the team successfully documented and precisely measured these giants, transforming local legends into scientific fact. This achievement, announced in June 2026, marks a significant advancement in understanding Taiwan's natural heritage and highlights the importance of dedicated exploration and research.