Australia’s tallest tree protected from bushfires

The Centurion tree, Australia’s tallest tree and also the second-tallest in the world, has been saved from looming bushfires.

The Centurion tree, a mountain ash eucalypt growing near the Tahune airwalk, has been saved from bushfire. It is Australia's tallest tree and the second tallest in the world. Picture: SUPPLIED

AUSTRALIA’S tallest tree has been protected from the bushfires burning in the Huon Valley.

The 100m eucalyptus regnans known as the Centurion tree is located in the Arve forest near the Tahune airwalk, an area at the heart of the 14,500ha Riveaux Rd/ Tahune fire.

The Centurion tree is the world’s tallest flowering plant.

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Parks and Wildlife Service general manager Jason Jacobi said PWS and Tasmania Fire Service staff had gone to significant lengths to protect the globally significant tree.

Mr Jacobi said he was awaiting confirmation on the status of the tree yesterday. However, intelligence from the field indicated it had been saved.

“We cleared an area of about 20 metres around the tree to ensure it was clear ground and unable to be burnt and that appears to have been successful,” Mr Jacobi said.

Eucalyptus regnans or “giant ash” is the tallest hardwood tree species known in the world and occurs only in the wet forests of Victoria and Tasmania.

Tasmania also has one of the world’s greatest cohorts of giant trees, taller than 70m.

Centurion was discovered in 2008 by Forestry Tasmania staff.

Californian redwood trees grow taller than Centurion, but they are softwood trees, and are not classified as flowering plants.