The Scotsmen newspaper reported on 26 March 2014 that the tallest tree in Britain has been discovered growing in a Highland glen, just a few yards from the tree that previously held the record.
For years, the famous Dughall Mor (Big Douglas in Gaelic), a Douglas fir growing in Reelig Glen, near Inverness, has held the title of Britain’s tallest tree, measuring 210ft. However, experts revealed yesterday that there might be “something in the water” in the glen after another Douglas fir, located only 55 yards away, was discovered to be 8ft taller. The newly discovered fir has become the tallest conifer in Europe.
The find was recorded last year during a survey and published in the Tree Register, a database of notable trees throughout Britain and Ireland. The register has details of more than 150,000 trees, some of which are rare, unusual or historically significant. Providing full data on the largest trees of each species, it is the definitive record of Britain and Ireland’s champion trees.
The Forestry Commission Scotland site at Reelig Glen has the largest concentration of fir trees exceeding 180ft anywhere in Britain and four of the tallest trees in the country. Giles Brockman, environment manager for the Forestry Commission’s team in Inverness, Ross and Skye, said that the annual contest between the trees depends on how a tree grows each season. He said: "The glen has obviously provided some protection from the harshest of the elements to give all of these trees a good, solid start in life, which has let them come on in leaps and bounds. We’ve always known that we have some of the finest air and richest soil up here, but we’re beginning to think there might be something special about the waters in the Moniack Burn, too. It’s quite something to have four of the tallest trees in Britain and to have one of those also holding the European title is pretty amazing".
Cautionary Note
I do wonder about the accuracy of the above report since if you check out the Hume & Son website pages at :-
http://www.kfhume.freeserve.co.uk/pages/treesandtimberpages/bigtreehunterspages/bigtreehuntersframe.htm
you will see a number of big trees together with their measurements taken in 1999 and so, for example, the big Douglas Fir at Dunans Castle, Argyleshire and the one at The Hermitage, Perthshire were both measured and acredited as being 213 feet tall. The Hermitage tree was known to be only 100 years old when measured in 1999 and so that tree is demonstrated to be growing at about 2 feet per year and hence by now (start 2014) both these trees should have put on about another 28 feet making a projected current height of 241 feet tall being achievable unless as frequently happens the top gets blown out in a storm.
Ken Hume - Oxfordshire Woodland Group
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Big Douglas Fir