Centurion (tree) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Centurion |
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A photo of Centurion taken in April 2009
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 Centurion
Location in Tasmania
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| Species | Eucalyptus regnans |
| Coordinates | 43°04′38″S 146°46′07″E / 43.07729°S 146.76874°E |
| Height | 99.7 m (327 ft) |
| Diameter | 4.05 m (13.3 ft) |
The Centurion is a super tall tree found in Tasmania, Australia. It's the tallest known Eucalyptus regnans tree in the world! This type of eucalyptus is the third tallest tree species on Earth. Only the coast redwood and the yellow meranti are taller. In 2008, experts measured Centurion at about 99.6 metres (327 ft) tall. That's like a 30-story building!
Forestry Tasmania employees found Centurion in August 2008. They were using a special mapping tool called LiDAR. LiDAR uses lasers to create detailed maps of forests. This helped them spot the giant tree.
How Big Is Centurion?
Centurion is incredibly tall! In January 2014, experts climbed the tree. They measured it again and found it had grown to 99.82 meters. Later, in 2016, another measurement showed it was 99.67 meters tall.
In December 2018, Centurion was measured one more time. This time, a ground laser was used. It suggested the tree might have reached 100.5 meters in height!
The bottom of Centurion is also very wide. Its diameter is 4.05 meters. That means its "girth" (the distance around its trunk) is more than 12 meters. Imagine how many people it would take to hug it! Experts think its wood volume is about 268 cubic meters.
How Centurion Got Its Name
The name "Centurion" was chosen for a special reason. It was the hundredth amazing tree discovered by Forestry Tasmania. The name also fit because the tree's height was close to 100 meters.
The word "Centurion" comes from centurions. These were important Roman officers. The root of the name, centum, means "one hundred" in Latin.
Centurion has another nickname too: "the Bradman." This name honors a famous Australian cricketer, Donald Bradman. His batting average was 99.94, which was very close to the tree's height of 99.82 meters.
Surviving Challenges
Centurion lives in a small area of very old forest. It is surrounded by younger trees. This giant tree has been lucky. It has survived both logging and big forest fires.
Sadly, in February 2019, a bushfire hit the area. The fire caused damage to Centurion. A new hollow formed at the base of the tree. But it seems the tree survived the fire.
Near Centurion, there are two other giant trees. One is an 86.5-meter tall Eucalyptus regnans named Triarius. The other was called The Prefect. The Prefect had a huge girth of 19 meters. Unfortunately, it was destroyed in the 2019 fires.
