Discover the stories behind the world's biggest trees, from the expert behind @bigtreehunters.
Fred Breglia, aka the ‘Tree Man’, is a big tree hunter. Having discovered, measured and crowned many champion trees in the US, he now shares his passion for big trees via @bigtreehunters. In this book, he shares the most awe-inspiring big trees in the world.
BIG TREES takes you on a journey through the giants of the natural world—towering redwoods, ancient baobabs and colossal eucalypts—uncovering their extraordinary stories and sharing how, against all odds, they have survived and thrived over hundreds and thousands of years. Grouped into thematic chapters, you can dip in and out and discover a huge array of trees and stories, including:
- New Discoveries, such as the recently recorded Menara, a 100-meter yellow meranti soaring above the Malaysian rainforest.
- Pillars of the Community highlights trees with human connections, like Santa Barbara’s 80-foot Moreton Bay Fig, whose original seed arrived in California by way of an Australian seaman and planted in 1876.
- In Twists and Burls, we meet contorted wonders like the El Árbol del Tule in Mexico, boasting the stoutest trunk of any tree on Earth.
- Against All Odds celebrates survivors, from Japan’s Miracle Pine, which withstood the 2011 tsunami, to Tasmania’s Centurion, a mountain ash that survived a devastating wildfire.
Illustrated with beautiful and candid photography, and featuring specially commissioned pen-and-ink drawings by the author, BIG TREES is both a celebration of nature’s giants and a call to protect them. Whether hidden deep in remote jungles or standing proudly in city parks, these trees are silent witnesses to history, culture, and resilience.
For nature lovers, travelers, and curious minds alike, this book offers a glimpse into the awe-inspiring world of our planet’s mightiest trees.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Introduction
1. New Discoveries
The Search Continues
2. Pillars of theCommunity
Living Landmarks
3. Ancient Sentinels
Great Age, Size, and Value
4. Against All Odds
Extraordinary Survivors
5. Behemoth Boles
The Largest Trees by Circumference
6. Nature's Largest Living Columns
The Largest by Trunk Volume
7. Trees that Have Stood for Millennia
Nature's Oldest Living Giants
8. Nature's Skyscrapers
The World's Tallest Trees
9. Forests in One
Single-tree Ecosystems
10. Twists and Burls
Unusual Forms, Big Cones, and Giant Leaves
The Tallest Known Coast Redwoods
Resources
Index
Photo credits
