The tallest tree in the world is a coastal redwood, about 380 ft (116m) tall. To put that in perspective, I’m 5’7”, and it would take about 68 of me vertically stacked to reach the height of that tree. It is about 13 feet in diameter. This tree is located in Redwood National Park, California. The tree, named Hyperion, gets its name from the Greek mythological titan who fathered the sun god Helios and moon goddess Selene. During our field observation, I took particular interest in a tree that had been growing in my backyard for probably 5 times as long as I have been alive. While it may not be a great comparison to Hyperion, it is definitely a competitor for the biggest tree on my block, or even in my neighborhood.  

At first glance, this tree is huge; ginormous; gargantuan, all the “big” words, compared to the other trees on my street. It has to be at least 50 feet tall. The trunk and bark of the tree are completely masked by the vines that wrap the tree cling to it as a life support, trailing from the roots all the way up to the branches. The leaves of this tree are flat and wide, and do not feel spikey like the pine needles of the other trees in my yard. The seeds that fall from this tree remind me of little, tiny boomerangs, that twirl and float their way to the ground. All my life, I’ve lived here and watched this tree grow, change colors throughout the seasons, lose its leaves by winter and grow back anew come springtime.  

Our yard used to be full of trees. The sidewalk was lined with shrubs and smaller plants, and the yard had a few larger trees. Eventually they got cut down to make room for electrical power and telephone lines. Here is a side-by-side comparison of the trees from 2007 to 2023.  

There is something I have left out, that even I did not notice about this tree until recently. It’s not one, but actually two trees that are growing side by side. From the front yard view, one is behind the other. My family likes to think of them as the “Mom and Dad” watching over our house, and the three other pine trees like me and my siblings. Together, the two trunks grow as one entity, one large bulb of leaves growing from two trunks and various intertwined branches. 

I have fond memories of laying out on the trampoline in the yard and just starting up into the sky. This tree would take up most of my view. My siblings and I would watch the birds circle around and think that any bird soaring was a hawk, and we would run back into the house afraid.

The roots of the tree run far and deep, down a hill and under a wall through the yard. You can see the ancient roots of this tree protruding from the ground as they set a stable foundation for the tree. I remember once running up the hill and tripping over the roots and faceplanting into the dirt; a painful yet endearing experience.  

After some extensive research, I found that this tree is a Sugar Maple, the state tree of New York. Here are some facts about this tree:  

• Sugar Maple Tree (Acer saccharum) 
• Grows 60-75 ft tall, 40-50 ft spread, grows about 12-24 ft per year. 
• Can live upwards of 300 years old 
• Grows throughout the Adirondacks and Northeastern US 
• Has palmately lobed leaves, that produce winged seeds around Sept-Oct 
• Leaves turn yellow, brunt orange, and red in the fall 
• Commonly browsed by white-tailed deer, moose, and snowshoe hare. Seeds by squirrels 
• It produces the sweetest maple syrup of all maple trees, but not as much as one think.  
• Historically it was used to make soap from its ashes, dye from its barks, and a spring tonic from its sap.  

The thing that Hyperion and trees such as these have in common is that they are essential to our ecosystem. They provide habitats for animals, contribute to our photosynthesis and respiration cycles, and overall promote the existence of life. As significant facets of our environment, it is important that we respect them and nurture their growth, as opposed to discarding trash and treating them as nothing more than a spectacle.  

Works Cited: 

Tumin, R. (2022, August 2). Thinking of visiting the world’s tallest tree? Think again. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/02/us/hyperion-tree-redwood-california.html 

Sugar Maple Tree on the Tree Guide at arborday.org. (2019). Arborday.org. https://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/treedetail.cfm?itemID=870