A 50-year-old noble poplar in Seoul's Hongneung Forest has been recorded as the tallest tree in South Korea. On Nov. 3, the Korea Forest Service's National Institute of Forest Science said it had precisely measured the tree's height for the first time using LiDAR and drone technology. The tree was confirmed at 38.97 meters tall.

The noble poplar is a hybrid tree in the Populus genus, part of the willow family. It was created by crossing European and North American poplars to produce the Italian poplar variety. Fifty trees were introduced to South Korea in 1975 through a Korea-Japan cooperative project and planted in Hongneung Forest's first arboretum. Two of these trees now stand in front of the National Institute of Forest Science's main building. The species grows quickly, and these trees are now 50 years old.

The recently measured noble poplar has reached 38.97 meters in 50 years, surpassing the height of the ginkgo tree at Yongmunsa Temple in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province, which was previously considered South Korea's tallest tree. The Yongmunsa ginkgo, a natural monument (No. 30) more than 1,100 years old, stands 38.8 meters tall with a circumference of 12.3 meters. The noble poplar is 17 centimeters taller and nearly twice the height of large, mature trees in South Korea's forests, which average about 20 meters.

"This tree benefits from a slightly lower surrounding area that retains water, creating a favorable environment for growth," said Park Chan-yeol, head of the Urban Forest Research Center at the National Institute of Forest Science. "We plan to continue monitoring its growth in response to weather events, including typhoons."

Kim Tae Young [email protected]