The best known and most famous example is the "Ferguson Tree" which was actually a fallen Mountain Ash downed by a recent bush fire. This was measured by a government surveyor, William Ferguson by tape measure on the 21st February 1872. The length was a staggering (if true) 133 metres (436 feet) with its crown (the tree's top) broken off!! The stump's diameter five feet off the ground was 5.5m (18 feet) and at its broken top its diameter was still 1 metre. It is estimated that had this tree actually still been intact it would have approached 152m (500 feet) in height. The surveyor also noted numerous fallen trees in the same area over 106m (350feet) in height.
Big deal you may say - 150m isn't very high. Modern athletic sprinters can cover 100m in less than 10 seconds. However, to put this into perspective here are some relative heights to make it easier to visualise;
The Sydney Opera House is 67m (220 feet) high above sea level.
The Statue of Liberty is 93m tall.
The great pyramid of Giza in its prime was 147m (482 feet) high.
The Eiffel Tower is 300m high (984 feet). [150m (492 feet) to 2nd platform].
Now do you think these trees are really tall?
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