In May 2022, Chinese scientists discovered an estimated 83.2-meter-tall tree in Zayu County of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, making it the tallest tree in the nation, according to the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

In August, a research team consisting of members from the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Wild Plant Germplasm Resource Center for Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden, the China Environmental Protection Foundation and the "Wild China" Studio set up a research project for measuring the tree, and revealed the accurate height of 83.4 meters on October 9.

The tree is called Abies ernestii var. salouenensis, a type of evergreen fir. It is located in a forest in Zayu County at an altitude of around 2.3 kilometers. Local climate and geological conditions coupled with a lack of human activities are conducive to the forest's wealth of rare and tall trees, which hold significant value in ecological research and conservation efforts. 

The tree was first discovered by Guo Ke, a researcher from the institute, as part of China's second comprehensive scientific expedition to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The researcher verified the tree's height multiple times using drones and came up with the estimated height of 83.2 meters.

After the research team arrived in Zayu County, they adopted the direct measurement method – tree climbing – to measure the height as well as drone measuring. The tree is 83.4 meters high, which is equivalent to the height of a 28-floor building, and the scientific research team created a new record for climbing and collecting data from a giant tree.

Based on the collected data, scientists concluded that the tree is around 380 years old and is still growing in a good health.

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