I climbed & measured the UK's joint tallest tree!

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michaeljspraggon
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15 years 5 months ago #133824 by michaeljspraggon

I climbed & measured the UK's joint tallest tree! was created by michaeljspraggon

Here are some links to various articles about my climb of the Lake Vyrnwy Douglas Fir. (See my recent post under Climb Reports Sharing). It's amazing to think that a tree in Wales and a Tree in Scotland share the same height to the centimetre!

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/newsrele.nsf/WebPRByCountryLang/ABB848A0BDB4C69E802575C40037298C

http://www.countrysideonline.co.uk/news.php?extend.3504

http://www.rhs.org.uk/News/TallestTreeRival.asp

http://www.hortweek.com/channel/Arboriculture/article/907711/Tallest-tree-UK-found-matching-record-breaker/

http://www.shropshirestar.com/2009/06/14/record-tree-is-fir-higher-than-most/

This was the view from the top:

Michael[/color]

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moss
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15 years 5 months ago #133836 by moss

Replied by moss on topic Re:I climbed & measured the UK's joint tallest tree!

Nice going Michael! What was the top like? Was it a skinny spire or a more robust structure? Did you use a measuring stick to get the tip-top measurement or were you able to get your hand up there?
-moss

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michaeljspraggon
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15 years 5 months ago #133841 by michaeljspraggon

Replied by michaeljspraggon on topic Re:I climbed & measured the UK's joint tallest tree!

It was a skinny spire, rather like those nearby trees in the photo. I climbed to within 2m of the top and used a tent pole 2.75m long with markers every 50cm. It folds up neatly into my small climbing backpack and even has a bend near the top so that it can turn it like a periscope until it touches the tip of the leader shoot. (I set this up by rearranging the sections of the tent pole).

I put a marker pin in the stem at 2.5m below the tip, then measured another metre to 3.5m and put another pin in but decided that it was still too thin to sit and unwind the 200ft tape so it measured an further 2m and put a marker at 5.5m below the top.

Michael[/color]

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treeman
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15 years 5 months ago - 15 years 5 months ago #133846 by treeman

Replied by treeman on topic Re:I climbed & measured the UK's joint tallest tree!

Way to go!

You did get a trophy cone, yes? Looks like there were a few to spare up there.

How thick was the stem where you used the pole?

Waving from a treetop,
Peter Treeman Jenkins

Last edit: 15 years 5 months ago by treeman.

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michaeljspraggon
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15 years 5 months ago #133853 by michaeljspraggon

Replied by michaeljspraggon on topic Re:I climbed & measured the UK's joint tallest tree!

Being a member of the Tree Register, I knew that it had been measured at 62.5m by a local company using a length of rope dangling from the climber's harness, which was measured back on the ground. This would give an underestimation of the height as the rope stretches under it's own weight. Also, this was 4 years ago and looking at the photos of the climb, they didn't seem to be at all equipped for climbing this size of tree.

What I never expected was for it to be exactly the same height as the current champion in Scotland!

I knew that if I asked the Forestry Commission to climb it they would say no, so I just did it and told them the result. They were actually really pleased and helped me with getting the story out there in the press!

It's hard to tell from the photo, but there won't be any mature cones up there until next year.

The stem was not much thicker than my wrist at 2.5m below the tip, hence me having to measure down to 5.50m below the tip before lowering the 200ft tape.

In a few years time both trees will be overtaken by countless Sitka Spruce in the nearby Coed y Brenin Forest. The only way to find the tallest will then be by LiDAR survey.

Michael

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michaeljspraggon
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15 years 4 months ago #133880 by michaeljspraggon

Replied by michaeljspraggon on topic TV Report : UK's joint tallest tree climb!

Here is a BBC News report about our climb

http://video.aol.co.uk/video-detail/measuring-the-uks-tallest-tree/260861911

Ironically they couldn't interview me in person because I was in Wales halfway up a cliff at the time, investigating some ancient Yew trees!

Michael

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moss
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15 years 4 months ago #133881 by moss

Replied by moss on topic Re:TV Report : UK's joint tallest tree climb!

They did a good job on the report, excellent coverage for your efforts.
-moss

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michaeljspraggon
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15 years 4 months ago #133893 by michaeljspraggon

Replied by michaeljspraggon on topic YouTube videos from top of UK's joint tallest tree

I know I've banged on about this climb for long enough now but I've finally put my first ever videos on YouTube so now you can see my film footage from N. Europe's tallest tree and also you get to see what I look like (sorry if that causes anyone offence!)

Michael

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michaeljspraggon
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15 years 4 months ago #133894 by michaeljspraggon

Replied by michaeljspraggon on topic Re:I climbed & measured the UK's joint tallest tree!

I can't seem to get the URL's to show up with this new-look website. Here are the links, which you'll have to paste into your address window instead!

Michael

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michaeljspraggon
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15 years 4 months ago #133895 by michaeljspraggon

Replied by michaeljspraggon on topic Re:I climbed & measured the UK's joint tallest tree!

Oh so that's how you do it! Just paste the addresses into the message that's all!

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moss
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15 years 4 months ago #133896 by moss

Replied by moss on topic Re:I climbed & measured the UK's joint tallest tree!

That's great Michael, excellent job! The bit about the surprise message in the bottle and dropping the pencil is hilarious. Also enjoyed your discovery moment in vid #4 when you realized there are a pair of tallest tree co-champs.

I always enjoy reporting from the real people on the scene as opposed to professional talking heads, looking forward to more of your in-tree reporting.
-moss

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