Trees can grow to great heights given time and access to good environmental resources. The tallest trees on the planet are generally the oldest trees as they have been given time to grow and mature.

Some of the tallest tress in the world are redwoods which can live between 600 and 800 years and have been known to grow to over 380 feet.

Water is a key factor in how tall a tree can grow; many trees are in tight competition for water in their roots which limits their ability to grow.

The main reason why redwood trees grow so tall is, to escape the competition of neighbouring trees, the higher they grow the more access the have to sunlight which in turn helps them grow quicker. Growing tall is part of a redwood trees natural survival process.

Not all trees will grow tall, and this is all to do with the genetics of the tree and their ability to absorb water. Some trees when they get taller suffer from water stress causing growth to slow due to lower photosynthesis.

Below we have prepared data on a selection of trees that, commonly, used timber comes from, along with some additional, informative information:

Ash (American White)
	Typical Tree Height: 25-36m Where It Grows: USA, Canada,	Material Type: Hardwood Durability: Non Durable Weight: 670 kg/m3 Colour: Brown Moisture Content: 8-12% KD
Beech (Euro)
	Typical Tree Height: 30m Where It Grows: Europe, UK, New Zealand,	Material Type: Hardwood Durability: Non Durable Weight: 720 kg/m3 Colour: Light Brown Moisture Content: 12-18% KD
Black Walnut (American)
	Typical Tree Height: 21-27m Where It Grows: Canada, USA,	Material Type: Hardwood Durability: Non Durable Weight: 640 kg/m3 Colour: Black/Very Dark Brown Moisture Content: 8-12% KD
Cedar
	Typical Tree Height: 30-53m Where It Grows: Canada, USA, New Zealand, UK,	Material Type: Softwood Durability: Durable (external use) Weight: 370 kg/m3 Colour: Pink/Pale Red Moisture Content: 12-18% KD
Cherry
	Typical Tree Height: 24m Where It Grows: Canada, USA,	Material Type: Hardwood Durability: Somewhat Durable Weight: 580 kg/m3 Colour: Brown Moisture Content: 8-12% KD
Douglas Fir
	Typical Tree Height: 24-60m Where It Grows: Canada, USA, UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, France, Belgium,	Material Type: Softwood Durability: Moderately Durable Weight: 530 kg/m3 Colour: Light Brown Moisture Content: 12-18% KD
Iroko
	Typical Tree Height: 50m Where It Grows: West Africa,	Material Type: Hardwood Durability: Very Durable Weight: 640 kg/m3 Colour: Yellow/Brown Moisture Content: 14-18% KD
Maple (American)
	Typical Tree Height: 20-37m Where It Grows: Canada, USA,	Material Type: Hardwood Durability: Moderately Durable Weight: 720 kg/m3 Colour: Light Brown Moisture Content: 8-12% KD
Oak (American White)
	Typical Tree Height: 25-30m Where It Grows: Eastern USA, Canada,	Material Type: Hardwood Durability: Somewhat Durable Weight: 760 kg/m3 Colour: Brown Moisture Content: 8-12% KD
Oak - Prime S/E (Euro)
	Typical Tree Height: 18-30m Where It Grows: Europe, Southern USA, North Africa, South-Eastern Canada, North-Eastern Usa,	Material Type: Hardwood Durability: Durable (external use) Weight: 720 kg/m3 Colour: Brown Moisture Content: 13-18% KD
Sapele
	Typical Tree Height: 45m Where It Grows: East Africa,	Material Type: Hardwood Durability: Somewhat Durable Weight: 620 kg/m3 Colour: Brown Moisture Content: 14-16% KD
Scandinavian Redwood
	Typical Tree Height: 21m Where It Grows: Europe, UK, Scandinavia, Russia,	Material Type: Softwood Durability: Moderately Durable Weight: 510 kg/m3 Colour: Light Brown Moisture Content: 12-18% KD
Southern Yellow Pine
	Typical Tree Height: 24-30m Where It Grows: Southern USA,	Material Type: Softwood Durability: Somewhat Durable Weight: 670 kg/m3 Colour: White/Cream (very light brown) Moisture Content: 12-18% KD
Tulipwood (Poplar)
	Typical Tree Height: 24-37m Where It Grows: Eastern Canada, Eastern USA,	Material Type: Hardwood Durability: Non Durable Weight: 510 kg/m3 Colour: Green Moisture Content: 10-12% KD
Utile
	Typical Tree Height: 45-60m Where It Grows: East Africa,	Material Type: Hardwood Durability: Durable (external use) Weight: 660 kg/m3 Colour: Brown Moisture Content: 10-18% KD

Trees can grow to over 100m (over 328Ft), laid down, that, roughly, the length of football field.

To grow, trees need to be able to deliver water all the way up the trunk to the top-level branches and leaves.

The water is pulled from the roots and moves up between the trees cells. As the trees get older and taller, water begins to struggle to pass up the cells, causing them to shrink.

This reduces the water flow and branches start to fail and die. This process will not kill the tree but ends its growth cycle.

Redwoods are commonly agreed to be the tallest trees in the world, the current recorded record height of a tree is 116m, a California Redwood. Redwood are known to grow tall and quick, partly due to their ability to absorb moisture from the air (fog).

The tallest redwoods in the world are located in a small area on California where the humid climate supports their rapid growth.

There are a few factors that can cause trees to stop growing, the primary cause is access to water and sunlight.

Water is essential for the cells in the tree to say alive and in effect feed the tree. The second is competition for space and exposure to sunlight.

In a tightly packed forest, the lack of space to physically grown can hinder a trees grown, also if the tree is under the forest canopy, the deficiency of sunlight can affect the growth potential.

The height of the tree is determined on many factors including the environment, access to water and the tree type. Typically, softwood trees grow faster and potentially taller than hardwood trees.

If you would like to learn more about timber and trees, then please visit the wood database.

Published: 14/12/2022

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