5 ms·

A new record for California's highest tree

47 points by docmechanic 1y ago

bix6 1y ago
Thought this would be a new king redwood but it’s just climate change. Sad.
- userbinator 1y ago
  Trees love CO2.
dyauspitr 1y ago
Don’t broadcast the location. You know there’s going to be some asshole that tries to destroy it.
- lukev 1y ago
  That's not what the article is talking about, at all. Try not to respond just to headlines.
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
- ForOldHack 1y ago
  Like what happened in Scotland
hbarka 1y ago
“…preliminary evidence suggests the bird carries fleshy Jeffrey pine seeds up the mountain from thousands of feet below, storing them in the High Sierra's "refrigerator" for an early summer snack.” The world of birds is full of wonder.
curtisszmania 1y ago
[dead]
whyenot 1y ago
That's kind of surprising. Jeffrey pines are most common on the eastern side of the Sierra crest where they will grow down to about 6,000 feet. I wouldn't have thought of them as growing well at over 12,000 feet, but I guess they are already well adapted to harsh growing conditions, and maybe now with less snow, it's possible for them to get a foothold. Jeffery Pines also grow on top of San Benito Mountain in the coast range (5,267 feet) where they grow in serpentine soils that are toxic to most plants.
boguscoder 1y ago
Highest as in “tallest” or growing on highest elevation, or both ? A little unclear
- aaronblohowiak 1y ago
  Elevation
  - zarzavat 1y ago
    The real question is, do you measure from the top or the bottom of the tree?
- not_a_bot_4sho 1y ago
  The article makes it super clear in the TLDR summary and in the first few paragraphs.
dmitrig01 1y ago
The plot is almost exactly the start of one of my favorite Onion Talks, What is The Biggest Rock? https://youtube.com/watch?v=aO0TUI9r-So https://youtube.com/watch?v=aO0TUI9r-So
- m463 1y ago
  we should listen to geologists: https://theonion.com/geologists-we-may-be-slowly-running-out-of-rocks-1819571484/ https://theonion.com/geologists-we-may-be-slowly-running-out...
chrisco255 1y ago
Article doesn't mention it but a significant factor for growth at high altitudes is the concentration of CO2, which gets thinner just like oxygen the higher above sea level you go. Higher concentrations of CO2 enables a higher tree line.
- colechristensen 1y ago
  But the actual top altitude where trees survive is a function of temperature primarily.
  - chrisco255 1y ago
    Evidence that Higher [CO2] Increases Tree Growth-Sensitivity to Temperature: A Comparison of Modern and Paleo Oaks https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6108346/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6108346/ If you read above it shows that temperature sensitivity is inversely proportional to CO2 density. In other words the thinner the CO2 the more sensitive plants are to temperature swings. Higher CO2 makes the plants more resilient at higher altitudes, not to mention the long-studied effect on growth, which improves survivability for all species of plants at all altitudes.
- aaron695 1y ago
  [dead]
- whyenot 1y ago
  > Higher concentrations of CO2 enables a higher tree line. While this may make some intuitive sense, [CO2] actually has very little bearing on tree line. The major factors are temperature and length of the growing season. Trees need liquid water to be able to transpire and grow. The growing season also needs to be long enough that trees can harvest enough energy (sugars) from sunlight to power respiration during cold nights and long winters. If you are aware of some articles showing that [CO2] is a limiting factor at high elevations, please share them :) Tree line is tends to be higher at lower latitudes
  - 1y ago
latchkey 1y ago
I was just in SequoiaNP a few days ago. Such a lovely place to go hiking. The area around General Sherman is awesome. Tons of trails that get you away from the crowds. Lakes Trail is amazing and there's still a lot of snow in the higher elevations. Even saw a number of people skiing through the forest. I really hope we don't ever lose these parks.
- fransje26 1y ago
  > I really hope we don't ever lose these parks. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/03/trump-national-forest-executive-order https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/03/trump-nation... Time to start organizing and fighting for the preservation of those parks..

47 points by docmechanic 1y ago

bix6 1y ago

Thought this would be a new king redwood but it’s just climate change. Sad.

userbinator 1y ago
Trees love CO2.

dyauspitr 1y ago

Don’t broadcast the location. You know there’s going to be some asshole that tries to destroy it.

lukev 1y ago
That's not what the article is talking about, at all. Try not to respond just to headlines.
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
ForOldHack 1y ago
Like what happened in Scotland

hbarka 1y ago

“…preliminary evidence suggests the bird carries fleshy Jeffrey pine seeds up the mountain from thousands of feet below, storing them in the High Sierra's "refrigerator" for an early summer snack.” The world of birds is full of wonder.

curtisszmania 1y ago

[dead]

whyenot 1y ago

That's kind of surprising. Jeffrey pines are most common on the eastern side of the Sierra crest where they will grow down to about 6,000 feet. I wouldn't have thought of them as growing well at over 12,000 feet, but I guess they are already well adapted to harsh growing conditions, and maybe now with less snow, it's possible for them to get a foothold. Jeffery Pines also grow on top of San Benito Mountain in the coast range (5,267 feet) where they grow in serpentine soils that are toxic to most plants.

boguscoder 1y ago

Highest as in “tallest” or growing on highest elevation, or both ? A little unclear

aaronblohowiak 1y ago
Elevation
- zarzavat 1y ago
  The real question is, do you measure from the top or the bottom of the tree?
not_a_bot_4sho 1y ago
The article makes it super clear in the TLDR summary and in the first few paragraphs.

dmitrig01 1y ago

The plot is almost exactly the start of one of my favorite Onion Talks, What is The Biggest Rock? https://youtube.com/watch?v=aO0TUI9r-So https://youtube.com/watch?v=aO0TUI9r-So

m463 1y ago
we should listen to geologists: https://theonion.com/geologists-we-may-be-slowly-running-out-of-rocks-1819571484/ https://theonion.com/geologists-we-may-be-slowly-running-out...

chrisco255 1y ago

Article doesn't mention it but a significant factor for growth at high altitudes is the concentration of CO2, which gets thinner just like oxygen the higher above sea level you go. Higher concentrations of CO2 enables a higher tree line.

colechristensen 1y ago
But the actual top altitude where trees survive is a function of temperature primarily.
- chrisco255 1y ago
  Evidence that Higher [CO2] Increases Tree Growth-Sensitivity to Temperature: A Comparison of Modern and Paleo Oaks https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6108346/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6108346/ If you read above it shows that temperature sensitivity is inversely proportional to CO2 density. In other words the thinner the CO2 the more sensitive plants are to temperature swings. Higher CO2 makes the plants more resilient at higher altitudes, not to mention the long-studied effect on growth, which improves survivability for all species of plants at all altitudes.
aaron695 1y ago
[dead]
whyenot 1y ago
> Higher concentrations of CO2 enables a higher tree line. While this may make some intuitive sense, [CO2] actually has very little bearing on tree line. The major factors are temperature and length of the growing season. Trees need liquid water to be able to transpire and grow. The growing season also needs to be long enough that trees can harvest enough energy (sugars) from sunlight to power respiration during cold nights and long winters. If you are aware of some articles showing that [CO2] is a limiting factor at high elevations, please share them :) Tree line is tends to be higher at lower latitudes
- 1y ago

latchkey 1y ago

I was just in SequoiaNP a few days ago. Such a lovely place to go hiking. The area around General Sherman is awesome. Tons of trails that get you away from the crowds. Lakes Trail is amazing and there's still a lot of snow in the higher elevations. Even saw a number of people skiing through the forest. I really hope we don't ever lose these parks.

fransje26 1y ago
> I really hope we don't ever lose these parks. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/03/trump-national-forest-executive-order https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/03/trump-nation... Time to start organizing and fighting for the preservation of those parks..