Photographers capture photos of 72-meter-tall tree in Yunnan nature reserve

A photographer with Wild China Film takes a picture of the giant Taiwania flousiana tree at the Gaoligong Mountain National Nature Reserve in Baoshan city, Yunnan. (Photo courtesy of Wild China Film)

In an attempt to raise awareness and foster a deeper understanding of the rich biodiversity of southwest China’s Yunnan province, Wild China Film, a production and public interest organization that strives for the protection of nature through the power of imagery, kicked off a project to take pictures of giant trees in southwest China’s Yunnan.

Its latest image was captured in September this year, being a picture of a Taiwania flousiana at the Gaoligong Mountain National Nature Reserve in Baoshan city, Yunnan.

“It requires a large amount of water for giant trees to grow well,” according to a photographer, while saying that southwest China is a place where some of the country’s tallest trees can be found. Gaoligong Mountain, a mountainous biodiversity hotspot in Yunnan, provides the best shelter for various wild species.

A photographer climbs the giant Taiwania flousiana tree at the Gaoligong Mountain National Nature Reserve in Baoshan city, Yunnan. (Photo courtesy of Wild China Film)

The Wild China Film photographers saw the giant Taiwania flousiana after they arrived at the Gaoligong Mountain National Nature Reserve on Sept. 14. At first, a professional climber climbed the tree while following relevant safety and technical standards and making sure that their activities followed the requirements for ensuring the protection of the trees.

After the climber explored an appropriate climbing path leading to the top of the tree, the photographer slowly started to climb the tree by following the same path. Eventually, the photographer found out that the tree was 72 meters in height. It was an extraordinary moment because the tree was the tallest one found in Eurasia to be measured and have its photo taken.

It took the photographers nearly 70 hours to finally take the first picture of the giant tree. They also discovered more than 10 kinds of plants inhabiting the tree trunk. “We have every reason to believe that in places when it rains more, there are more giant trees for us to discover,” said a photographer.