Trees have become symbols of age and wisdom in many movies and literary works. Sure enough, when left to nature alone, they can grow up to incredible heights. Some of the world's tallest trees grow up to hundreds of feet tall, with their roots embedded deep in the ground and their crowns bathing uninterrupted in the sun.

Most of the tallest trees in the world belong to the Sequoia sempervirens, or the redwoods, but other species have also given birth to exceptional specimens. Here are five of the tallest trees in the world:

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5. Unnamed Giant Sequoia - 95.7 meters/ 314 feet

While giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum) generally live up to their name, being exceptional in terms of its girth (width). However, only a few of them cross the 300-foot mark. One of these remarkable trees is an unnamed specimen that rests in California's Sequoia National Forest - among the tallest trees in the world. 

4. Raven's Tower - 96.7 meters/ 317 feet

A different species from most of the entries in this list, the giant tree known as The Raven's Tower is actually a sitka spruce - a coniferous evergreen - located in the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, also in California. However, the exact location of The Raven's Tower is disclosed to protect it from visitors and vandals. Prairie Creek was first established in the 1920s precisely to protect these trees. It houses a few other giants like the Corkscrew Redwood and the Cathedral Trees.

It was first discovered and measured by Ron Hildebrandt and Michael Taylor in 2001, later measured again by Stephen Sillett in 2007.

3. Doerner Fir - 99.7 meters/ 327 feet

Doerner Fir, also known as the Brummitt Fir, is among the tallest non-redwoods ever discovered. It is a Coast Douglas-fir, estimated to be more than 500 years old, standing on the east side of Coos County in Oregon. The Doerner Fir was first measured back in 1991, found to stand at 329 feet. When it was later measured in 2008, it lost two feet and measured 327 feet.

Formerly named the Brummitt Fir for the name of the drainage where it grows, it was later renamed in honor of Ray Doerner, commissioner of Douglas County and a longtime employee at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

2. Centurion - 99.82 meters/ 327.5 feet

This tree is not located in the United States, but in Arve Valley in Australia. Centurion is currently the second tallest tree around the world, and the tallest non-redwood. The largely popular Eucalyptus regnans tree narrowly beats the Doerner Fir. It was discovered in August 2008 by Forestry Tasmania employees. Despite the bush fires raging in the Tasmanian state in 2019, Centurion managed to survive, but not without suffering damage.

1. Hyperion - 115.92 meters/ 380.3 feet

With a name that means "The High One" from Greek mythology, Hyperion remains uncontested as the tallest tree in the world. The coast redwood sits in an undisclosed location inside the massive Redwood National and State Parks, also in California.

 

It was discovered by naturalists Chris Atking and Michael Taylor in August 2006, later verified to stand at 115.55 meters by Stephen Sillett. A more recent measurement places the Hyperion at 115.85 meters high.

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