Судлаачид LiDAR технологи болон иргэдийн оролцоотой судалгааны үр дүнд 84.1 метрийн өндөртэй Тайвань гацуур модыг олж тогтоолоо.
Тайваний ойн судалгааны хүрээлэнгийн эрдэмтэд 2014 оноос хойш тус улсын алслагдсан уулархаг бүсэд орших аварга том моддыг бүртгэх ажлыг эхлүүлжээ. Судалгааны баг олон жилийн турш хээрийн шинжилгээ, LiDAR буюу лазерын тусгал ашиглан газрын гадаргууг 3D хэлбэрээр зураглах технологийг хослуулан ажилласан байна. Уулархаг газрын эгц налуу болон хадан цохио нь хиймэл дагуулын хэмжилтэд алдаа гаргаж байсан тул олон зуун сайн дурын иргэдийн тусламжтайгаар өгөгдлийг нягтлан шалгажээ.
Энэхүү хамтын ажиллагааны үр дүнд 2022 онд 65 метрээс дээш өндөртэй 941 мод бүхий Тайваний аварга моддын газрын зургийг бүтээсэн байна. Уг судалгааны явцад 2023 оны нэгдүгээр сард Да’ан голын хөндийгөөс 84.1 метрийн өндөртэй, “Тэнгэрийн сэлэм” хэмээн нэрлэгдсэн Тайвань гацуур модыг илрүүлжээ. Энэ нь Зүүн Азийн бүс нутагт бүртгэгдсэн хамгийн өндөр мод болж байна.
Судлаачид эдгээр аварга моддын бүлгэмдлийг “аваргуудын сүм” хэмээн нэрлэж, тэдгээрийн нүүрстөрөгч хуримтлуулах чадавхийг онцолсон байна. Тухайлбал, 2024 онд Тао модны хөндийд хийсэн судалгаагаар тус бүс нутгийн ой нь нэг га талбайд 1384.5 мг/га нүүрстөрөгч агуулж байгаа нь тогтоогджээ. Эдгээр ойн сан нь дэлхийн хамгийн өндөр нягтралтай нүүрстөрөгчийн нөөц бүхий экосистемүүдийн нэгд тооцогдож байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
Deep in Taiwan’s mountains, scientists have found an 84.1-meter Taiwania fir, the tallest known tree in East Asia. The discovery came after years of difficult expeditions, LiDAR mapping, and help from hundreds of citizen scientists searching for giant trees hidden in remote forests.
Taiwan’s steep and rugged interior has protected some of the island’s oldest forests, where enormous Taiwania cryptomerioides trees continue to grow far from human activity. These giants, known by the Indigenous Rukai people as “the tree that hits the moon,” are among the largest ones found in the region.
The research, published by Frontiers, details how a team of climbers, ecologists, geologists, remote sensing experts, and volunteers spent years locating and measuring these hidden giants.
Ten Years Tracking Taiwan’s Giant Trees
The search began in 2014, when researchers from the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute entered the Cilan conservation area to investigate the famous “Chilan Three Sisters.” Local communities had known about the three huge Taiwania firs for years, but their exact size had never been scientifically recorded. The team discovered that the tallest one reached 69.3 meters, with a trunk nearly three meters wide.
The trees later attracted worldwide attention after climbers from Australia’s The Tree Projects photographed them in 2017. Their images showed just how enormous Taiwan’s forests could be. Researchers then moved deeper into the mountains, focusing on areas near Mt. Benya and Great Ghost Lake, where reports suggested that more giant Taiwania firs might be waiting to be found.
Getting there was far from easy. One expedition required four days of hiking with heavy equipment. During that trip, researchers climbed a 71.7-meter tree, but they also discovered a major problem: finding the tallest by sight alone was unreliable. In dense old-growth forests, the canopy could hide the true size of individual trees.
How Technology Found The Hidden Giants
To search across Taiwan’s vast mountain forests, researchers teamed up with remote sensing specialists at National Cheng Kung University and turned to LiDAR technology. The system works by sending laser pulses from aircraft toward the landscape below. By measuring how long those signals take to return, scientists can create detailed 3D maps and estimate the heights across large areas.
The technology helped narrow the search, but Taiwan’s dramatic terrain created problems. Cliffs and steep slopes often made computer systems believe the forest giants were much taller than they really were. In 2020, the project brought in hundreds of citizen scientists to help review LiDAR images. Volunteers examined possible locations and removed false results caused by the landscape.
The researchers found that automated systems had incorrectly measured 93% of the trees they identified. Human eyes were better at spotting when the terrain was creating misleading results. This collaboration led to the creation of the Taiwan Giant Tree Map in 2022, which recorded 941 trees taller than 65 meters.
The map eventually led researchers to Taiwan’s tallest tree. In January 2023, they followed a river for 20 kilometers before hiking uphill for two days to reach the location. Climbers measured the tree at 84.1 meters and named it the “Heaven Sword of the Da’an River.”
Giant Forests That Store Huge Amounts Of Carbon
The search for individual record-breaking trees also uncovered entire communities of giant ones growing together. Researchers described these areas as “temples of giants” because of the number and size of the Taiwania firs found there. Near Mt. Benya, one hectare of forest contained 11 trees taller than 65 meters. A later expedition to the Great Ghost Lake area revealed around 30 giant Taiwania firs growing together in an ancient forest.
Scientists also studied how much carbon these forests store. In 2024, researchers worked with 15 citizen scientists to examine the Tao Tree valley, home to Taiwan’s third-tallest tree. The study found that the forest contained 1,384.5 Mg/ha of carbon, without counting the large root systems beneath the ground.
The findings reported by Frontiers show that Taiwan’s giant forests are among the most carbon-dense ecosystems in the world. Their towering trees are not only impressive natural landmarks but also long-term carbon stores that help protect the environment.
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