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Unding Jami, a research assistant with the Stability of Altered Forest Ecosystems (SAFE) project and an expert tree climber, works with a team on the ground to confirm the height of the massive yellow meranti tree.
The topmost branches of the tree stretch up to the sky. The enormous yellow meranti (Shorea faguetiana) extends 293.6 feet (89.5 meters) above the forest floor.
Modern tech finds ancient growth
(Image credit: Michele Dalponte)
Researchers detected the unusually tall tree using lidar, a scanning system that combines light and radar to visualize land features in 3D.
Members of the conservation team prepare to climb the gargantuan tree to document its height. The group investigating the region's biodiversity included scientists from the University of Cambridge working together with the Sabah Forestry Department.
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Jaw-dropping perspective
(Image credit: University of Cambridge)
In a still from a computer animation created by the University of Cambridge, the yellow meranti tree's height is compared to that of the U.K.'s "Big Ben."
Imaging from above
(Image credit: University of Cambridge)
The scientists scanned the forest from a helicopter flying overhead, using lidar data to reconstruct the shapes of the trees below in 3D.
Record-setting Minecraft tree
(Image credit: Stephanie Law)
This record-setting tree is a popular species in the video game Minecraft, where it can be spawned as a "Yellow Meranti" sapling. In the real world, the yellow meranti is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN.)
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