83.4 meters! On the morning of October 9, the Chinese Giant Tree Science Expedition Team released the accurate height data of the "China's tallest tree" Yunnan Huangguo Fir , and also released the first photo of this giant tree.
This giant tree is located in the southeastern Tibetan alpine canyon area in the transition zone of Himalayas and Hengduan Mountains. It belongs to Chayu County, Tibet Autonomous Region, with an average local altitude of 2,800 meters. It is reported that this is the first comprehensive scientific research to climb, photography and collect germplasm resources on giant trees above 80 meters high.
Yunnan Huangguo Fir and other photos were taken and synthesized by the "Wild China" studio team. The photo is located in the middle of the tree. Liu Tuanxi
giant tree breast diameter reaches 207 cm. The tree is about 380 years old and is in a "young and middle-aged man". Its "height" is equivalent to 28 stories high. Why does such a tall tree measure through climbing? What are the special stories behind it? On October 10, a reporter from Xin Yellow River interviewed Liu Tuanxi, a member of the scientific expedition and the technical guide for the giant tree climbing.
01 Talk to the giant tree
"Boom" broke the silence of the primeval forest. A dead tree trunk more than 2 meters long and about 30 cm in diameter fell from the sky and landed behind Liu Tuanxi's side, and the scattered dead branches jumped to his feet. Liu Tuanxi immediately shouted to the other team members on the tree, "What's going on?" When he learned that the huge dead branches came from a tree next to Huangguo fir in Yunnan, it was not the other team members who stepped on it. Liu Tuanxi immediately breathed a sigh of relief, but also realized that this time the encounter was very dangerous.
Liu Tuanxi encountered falling dead branches at the bottom of the giant tree Photo by Zheng Huaizhou/
It has been two months since the scientific research, but when recalling the thrilling moment at that time, Liu Tuanxi was still a little scared, "The dead Manqinggang is 25 meters high, but the results are exciting and proud."
In August this year, a Chinese giant tree scientific research team composed of Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese important Wild Plants Germplasm Resource Library Chenshan Center- Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden , China Environmental Protection Foundation , "Wild China" Studio, Forestry and Grassland Bureau, Chayu County, Linzhi City, Tibet Autonomous Region, went to Shangchayu Town, Chayu County, to conduct manual tree climbing measurement and regional survey on a Yunnan Huangguo fir, combined with drone-assisted measurement.
Liu Tuanxi, who has many years of outdoor climbing experience, joined the scientific expedition team together as technical guidance for giant tree climbing.
Zheng Huaizhou conducted scientific research work at about 77 meters on the top of the tree. Photo provided by the interviewee
According to CCTV reports, in May this year, a team of researcher Guo Ke from the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted a vegetation survey on the giant tree community in Buzong Village, Shangchayu Town, and found several giant trees above 75 meters in height. One of the Yunnan Huangguo fir trees reached 83.2 meters after preliminary measurements by drone, exceeding the measurement records of 72 meters of bald fir distributed in Gongshan County, Yunnan Province, 76.8 meters of Bhutan Song in Motuo County, Tibet Autonomous Region, and 81 meters of 81 meters of bald fir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir tir
Previously, Liu Tuanxi had three experiences in climbing giant trees. Last year, he also participated in the scientific survey of 72-meter bald pine trees in the Gaoligong Mountain Reserve in Yunnan. But this time, he still felt "uneasy" in the face of the climbing work of this Yunnan Huangguo Fir.
"Because this tree is very different from the bald pine tree of Gongshan . That bald pine tree is over 1,000 years old, very thick, with a diameter of more than 2.5 meters, but this tree is relatively young and thin." Liu Tuanxi admitted that this time the tree climbing was a little more nervous and scared. "Although there is fear, rational thinking tells me that there is no problem to ensure the rigor of science."
Liu Tuanxi told the reporter of the New Yellow River that during the climbing process, he kept muttering to himself, "Thank you, the sacred tree, thank you, the tree king, thank you for your blessing, I'm sorry, we'll disturb you." Now that he thinks, he describes the feeling that it feels like a conversation with a giant tree, and there is a psychological reaction of a tree man at a high place.
02 "Like a little ant crawled onto a human."
" Bingchacha " is the most difficult road among the eight major routes to Tibet, and it is also the only way for the Chinese Jushu Science Expedition Team this time.
"Bing" is to start from Bingzhongluo, Gongshan County, Nujiang, Yunnan to the first "Cha", that is, Nujiang Grand Canyon Dry and Hot River Valley, Meili Snow Mountain at the foot of the west side, then climb over Nujiang , climb onto the tall and wide 4000-meter mountainous land on the south side of Boshula Ridge , then cross three passes of 4500 meters +, and finally arrive at the second "Cha" in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin at an altitude of 2200 meters, which is Chayu County .
August 5th, China The members of the Jushu Science Expedition Team set out from Dali , and the first difficulty encountered was "Bingchacha". Liu Tuanxi introduced that "Bingchacha" is about 290 kilometers, with "crater roads" and gravel roads everywhere, and there may be sudden hail and snow. It took about 13 hours to drive through the "Bingchacha" scientific expedition team.
The journey was difficult, and the location of the Jushu Science Expedition Team was extremely remote and remote. The entire itinerary took three days. At around 4 pm on August 7, the scientific expedition team arrived at Shangchayu Town, and came to the foot of Huangguo fir in Yunnan.
"On the day we arrived, we began to prepare for the corresponding tree climbing, and climbed and analyzed the surrounding environment and tree trunk conditions. At the same time, other scientific researchers and scientific expedition team members conducted field tree climbing training, and evaluated them one by one according to physical fitness and skills, and load-bearing tests were carried out. "Liu Tuanxi admitted that once an accident occurs in the primeval forest, it will be very difficult to carry out air rescue, so preparations must be done in detail.
Liu Tuanxi introduced the three core goals of this scientific expedition to the reporter of New Yellow River: First, climb up the tree and measure based on direct measurement; Second, take relevant scientific research experts and other scientific expedition team members to the tree, conduct a comprehensive investigation of the tree, understand the growth patterns of trees at different heights, and collect active samples. ; Third, follow the international standards for tree climbing, conduct traceless climbing without harm to giant trees, and take photos by the "Wild China" studio.
After a series of preparations, at around 2 pm on August 8, Liu Tuanxi and the other two had hung the rope to a height of 30 meters, and at around 4 pm, they hung it to a height of 60 meters, and then at around 6:30 pm, they hung it to a height of 78 meters.
Liu Tuanxi's selfie on the top of the giant tree Photo provided by the interviewee
After successfully reaching the top of the tree, Liu Tuanxi took a selfie with his mobile phone. Seeing the continuous ridges, narrow valleys, and the primeval forest with mixed needles and broad leaves, he felt particularly magnificent and beautiful. "I stayed on the top of the tree for two hours for the longest time. When I was tired for a while, I tied myself to the trunk with my seat belt, sat half of my butt and meditated for a while, and then I sniffed on the giant tree. "He described that he saw it like the forest scene in the cartoon of Miyazaki Hayao . In an instant, he suddenly felt the feeling of "harmony between man and nature". At the same time, he felt his insignificance in front of nature, like a little ant climbing onto a human.
03 A traceless tree climbing that lasted 4 and a half days
8 August 9th to 11th is the official work time. The scientific expedition team members conducted a series of measurements and inspections, as well as the distribution and observation of the surrounding insects, birds, animals and plants, and conducted corresponding sampling. When the researchers climbed the trees, the three giant trees climbed technical guidance of 1-to-1 or 1-to-2, which had the effect of safety supervision and protection. Liu Tuanxi introduced, "The heights reached by other scientific researchers were about 50 meters. Work above this height and the collection of specimens with difficulty and dangers were all done by us. "
Schematic diagram of tree climbing made by Liu Tuanxi Photo provided by the interviewee
It is worth noting that many netizens on social platforms have raised some questions about this measurement, why do you have to climb? Will you hit nails and will you destroy trees?
"Of course you won't hit nails. This tree climbing is a traceless climb."Liu Tuanxi mentioned that this is a method of climbing trees that is widely adopted internationally, that is, using the "super slingshot" of tree climbing, using a bean rope with extremely small elasticity, tie a falling object to one end of the climbing bean rope, and tie the bean rope to a high-altitude tree branch. "The early stage needs to be accurately calculated, and the falling object is too heavy or too light. "Then the rope is shook along the main rope of the tree climbing, which can be simply understood as "projecting the rope". "I have tried many times to use drone lanyards, but it has not been successful." When the scientific expedition team members climbed the tree, they operated the ascending to climb, which is also called single rope technology (SRT).
The members of the scientific expedition team are carrying out tree climbing and throwing ropes. Zhang Wei/photo
When they were down the tree, Liu Tuanxi introduced that every 15-20 meters, a double rope will be lowered every 15 meters-20 meters. "Down to a certain low point, pull the double rope from the other rope head, and there will be no knots or equipment left at the high point on the tree. We will make another double rope protection point on the chest, descending layer by layer, and when we finally land, there will be no things on the tree. Tree climbing and rope systems are a very mature field. "
For another question, why can't drone be used to measure directly? Liu Tuanxi also gave the answer.
Liu Tuanxi told the reporter of Xinhuanghe that the direct tree climbing measurement method used this time is the "gold standard" for measuring giant trees, that is, manually climbing to the top of the giant tree, and after determining the highest treetop, putting the metal tape measure from the treetop to the ground to measure.
"The fact is that the current drone technology cannot completely replace human beings. "He introduced that the temperature, wind, humidity, electromagnetic waves, , etc. in the primeval forest, and the complex tree canopy may affect the work of the drone, and it also involves the calibration of the drone's own accuracy. Another important reason is that the giant tree scientific research does not simply measure the height, but also requires the collection of leaves, seeds, bark and other parasitic animals and plants, and check the pest and diseases. That is, only those who are close to the sample object can conduct a comprehensive observation and scientific research, and even diagnose tree health, treat pests and diseases, which is irreplaceable by drones. Internationally, scientists from the UK, the United States and Australia, who are quite traditional and powerful in the field of giant tree scientific research, have adopted this method of tree climbing scientific research. my country's tree climbing scientific research is also one of the only four or five countries in the world.
, the primeval forest of Gangrigabu Mountain around the giant tree Liu Tuanxi/photo
tree climbing is to better understand and protect giant trees. According to CCTV reports, after tree climbing and collection survey, more than 50 kinds of higher plants were found on the highest tree in China, including climbing plants, epiphytes , parasitic plants and other types, showing the unique biodiversity . Whether it is climbing or collecting, the scientific expedition team set a new record for China's giant trees.
04 The cooperation between outdoor sports and scientific expedition is making up for more and more regrets
"In fact, the last section was measured using fishing rod comparison. "Liu Tuanxi revealed that the safety protection point was set at a height of 80 meters in the giant tree. "From the top of the tree, the trunk is only as thick as a person's legs. When I stood up, I felt that it was 2-3 meters away from the top of the tree, so we used the fishing rods we prepared in advance to compare the length of more than 80 meters. "At the same time, the three giant tree climbing technical guides all climbed to the top of the tree twice, and each made multiple measurements to reduce the error value. The final result of 83.4 meters was obtained after summarizing the data and comprehensive analysis.
Liu Tuanxi also had an exceptionally "ritual sense" for this tree climbing scientific examination. "When writing the measurement report, I was like a college student writing a graduation thesis, very seriously, and all details were marked. I know the important value of this matter and I am responsible for the accuracy of the measurement report. ”
In two months, Liu Tuanxi’s 51st birthday, and the other two giant tree climbing technical supervisors in the team are also around 40 years old.In 1994, Liu Tuanxi graduated from the Hifei University of TechnologyHifei TechnologyHi major in precision instruments. The major he studied was in the field of general measurement. "I never thought I would do something related to measurement before." This tree climbing survey made him very proud, and he also regarded this tree climbing survey as a birthday gift that arrived early.
Liu Tuanxi introduced that in European and American countries, tree climbing technology has developed early, and the combination of adventure and scientific research is very close. Thanks to the development of outdoor sports in my country in recent years, domestic tree climbing technology has become increasingly mature, and cooperation between tree climbing and scientific research is becoming more and more. With the assistance of professional tree climbing personnel, scientific researchers can observe some animals and plants in unique environments at close distance, collect active samples and bring them back to the laboratory. "Not only in the field of giant tree measurement, but also in the scientific research of some caves in the caves, the outdoor sports of the rope system are also playing a helpful role, which is the most gratifying thing to protect our scientists."
He also revealed that at present, due to the limitations of tree climbing, there are only more than 20 professionals with this technology in China, but several major tree climbing scientific research activities will inevitably have a positive impact. A reporter from New Yellow River learned that elective courses for tree climbing have been offered in Xiamen University , Hubei University, Sichuan University and other universities.
Member of the Chinese Giant Tree Science Expedition Team Photo provided by the interviewee
The growth of the Giant Tree is one of the most typical symbols of the healthy ecology of the original forest, and it is also the reason why the Giant Tree is particularly precious. In my country, from the " Wenshan " in southern Yunnan, the " Wangtian Tree " in southern Yunnan to the " Ailao Mountain , Gaoligong, and even to the southern foot of the Himalayas, these warm, humid and windless valley areas are often the best habitat for giant trees, and many giant trees have been born. Liu Tuanxi analyzed that the environment in which the giant tree community appears is quite harsh, with temperature, altitude, abundant rainfall and small wind, and must not be affected by the logging or other influences of human industrial or agricultural civilization development. "Only if these 5 conditions are met, can the giant tree be preserved."
"For me personally, this matter is very meaningful and a precious life experience. Of course, for this Yunnan Huangguo fir, it is still young and may grow taller soon."
New Yellow River Reporter: Li Yunheng
Editor: Xing Zhibin
