What is the world’s tallest tree, and why are they thriving in UK?

Giant sequoias- the Earth’s largest trees- are booming in the UK, and their growth is almost as strong as that of the trees in California, as revealed by researchers today, according to Reuters.

Firstly, the country estate of the British 19th century aristocracy now has approximately half a million sequoias (also known as giant redwoods). This number is far greater than the 80,000 sequoias in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California.

Although the California’s giant sequoias experience the challenges of more frequent and severe wildfires and climate-induced droughts, the report from the Royal Society, the UK academy of sciences, says that the sequoias in the UK are in general doing well. 

Dr Mathias Disney, a co-author from University College London, noted that these trees would flourish in the UK’s more temperate and wetter climate in the long run.

The giant trees were brought to Britain in the 1800s, and they lived longer than 3,000 years. At first, they were planted in stately home grounds to show the wealth and rarity of the Victorians. 

Notwithstanding their amazing rate of growth, the ability to provide shade, and carbon-absorbing properties, there is still an unclear impact on the native biodiversity.

Dr. Disney warned about the dangers of overlooking these trees, saying that they were only imported to the UK recently. The unanticipated success of giant sequoias in the British climate creates an exciting and positive development for the international conservation movement.