Stretch to the Sun: From a Tiny Sprout to the Tallest Tree on Earth

The tallest known tree on earth is located in Redwood National Park in northern California. More than twelve hundred years old, it is approximately 380 feet tall--and still climbing!

For more than twelve hundred years, a little sprout has grown, survived fires, drought, and logging, and flourished undiscovered. Tall-tree researchers found the tree in 2006 and at more than 380 feet today--and still growing--it's the tallest tree known on earth. A unique, vibrant ecosystem hides high in the coast redwood's canopy: huckleberry bushes, ferns, and mosses grow atop its branches, while salamanders and squirrels scamper from limb to limb, and birds nest and feed their young. In particular, coast redwoods are the only nesting habitat for the marbled murrelet that has recently been reclassified from threatened to endangered. Now protected in Redwood National Park in Northern California, the tree stands as a reminder of nature's strength and fragility--and our ability save an ancient world from destruction.