Wonder

Raven’s Tower (Sitka spruce)

WorldBlue  In short

Until 2021 the tallest known Sitka spruce in the world was Raven Spruce which is 96.7 m (96.68 m) tall.

4 out of 10 stars 40.3%

GPS coordinates
41.3805 N 124.0140 W (possible mistake by 3 km)
Location, address
North America, United States, California, Del Norte County, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. Exact location not given.
Species
Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.)
Height
94.9 m
Diameter
4.87 m

Map of the site

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WorldYellow In detail

The exact location of this enormous tree is not disclosed but it is known that the tree is located in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. This park was established in the 1920s in order to protect redwood forests with extremely tall and large trees whose growth has been facilitated by very frequent fogs.

Raven’s Tower was discovered and measured by Ron Hildebrandt and Michael Taylor in 2001, measured also by Steve Sillett in 2007.

Tree has a lively top, seems to be growing, and by now might be taller.

Bark of Sitka spruce is friendly to epiphytes and in the moist, foggy climate the trees get covered with diverse moss, lichens, and ferns. Branches of trees get thick cover and even soil developing on them – and as a result high above the ground, at the height of 50 m spruce develops a new network of roots on its own branches! This should be of great assistance to achieving a greater height of the tree because exactly the extreme lift of nutrients from the roots is limiting the height of the trees.

It was the tallest tree in its species until the discovery by Michael Taylor and Tressa Gibbard in early 2021 when a fantastic, 100.2 m tall Sitka spruce was discovered. Several taller Sitka spruces were discovered as well.

References

  1. Landmarktrees, Tallest Sitka Spruce, accessed on December 24, 2010. Now website is not online anymore
  2. Humboldt State University, Institute for Redwood Ecology, Photo Tour: Sitka spruce, Picea sitchensis, accessed on December 24, 2010. Images!
  3. M. W.Taylor, New 370′ class redwood to report, CA eNTS: The Magazine of the Native Tree Society – Volume 1, Number 7, July 2011, page 87. Accessed on 26 December 2016.

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WorldYellow Recommended books

Shades of Green: An Environmental and Cultural History of Sitka Spruce


This book takes a fresh look at the most disliked tree in Britain and Ireland, explaining the reasons it was introduced and why it became ubiquitous in the archipelagos of northwest Europe.

Experience the California Coast


The shoreline between California’s Golden Gate and the Oregon border offers an endless variety of coastal attractions: soft white sand and coarse pebble beaches, a forest of Sitka spruce and fields of California poppies, redwood glades and crashing surf, lighthouses, and whales.


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