The Tallest Tree in the Land

New model predicts maximum tree height across the United States; gives information about forest density, carbon storage - image: MIT News

Knowing how tall trees can grow in any given region can give ecologists a wealth of information, from the potential density of a forest and size of its tree canopy to the amount of carbon stored in woodlands and the overall health of an ecosystem. Now grad student Chris Kempes, along with colleagues at the University of Maryland and the Santa Fe Institute in New Mexico, has come up with a simple model to predict the maximum tree height in different environments across the United States. The researchers’ results have been published in the journal PLoS One. Read more.