A new record for California's highest tree | Hacker News Reader

A new record for California's highest tree

sciencedaily.com

47 pointsdocmechanic20 comments

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

we should listen to geologists:

https://theonion.com/geologists-we-may-be-slowly-running-out...

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.

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.

> I really hope we don't ever lose these parks.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/03/trump-nation...

Time to start organizing and fighting for the preservation of those parks..

“…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.

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

Trees love CO2.

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

Elevation

The real question is, do you measure from the top or the bottom of the tree?

The article makes it super clear in the TLDR summary and in the first few paragraphs.

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

That's not what the article is talking about, at all. Try not to respond just to headlines.

Like what happened in Scotland

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.

But the actual top altitude where trees survive is a function of temperature primarily.

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/

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.

> 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

CO2 has a huge effect, actually:

Photosynthetic Responses of Trees in High-Elevation Forests: Comparing Evergreen Species Along an Elevation Gradient in the Central Andes

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4512032/

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/

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