Tallest planted tree

On 8 November 2021, a team of arborists led by Leon Visser (South Africa) entered the Magoebaskloof State Forest in Limpopo Province, South Africa, to re-measure a stand of giant eucalypts belonging to the species Eucalyptus saligna (aka Sydney blue gum). A trio known as the "Magoebaskloof Triplets" previously measured here in 2013 were known to reach 81.5 m (267 ft 4.7 in) but on this latest outing an even taller specimen was discovered, dubbed "Fourth Kin", which had a tape-drop height of 83.7 m (274 ft 7.3 in). Native to eastern Australia, these trees were originally planted in 1906 by forestry pioneer A K Eastwood.

On the tree-climbing expedition, which was funded by the Dendrological Society of South Africa, Visser was accompanied by Cameron Brand, Kyle Brand and Tarl Berry, as well as photographer Anton Opperman.

Owing to too much vegetation near the base, to scale Fourth Kin, the crew had to first ascend the adjacent Triplets. This process begun by catapulting a rope about midway up the trees, then climbing through the branches towards the top. At a height of about 70 m (230 ft), a weighted line was thrown into the upper section of Fourth Kin so the climbers could transfer across. Once in the upper section of Fourth Kin, a tape-drop was then carried out by attaching a weighted tape to a pole to reach the top of the canopy and then letting the tape unravel to the ground to ascertain the full height.

This beat another eucalypt specimen, a mountain ash (E. regnans) planted in Orokonui Ecosanctuary near Dunedin, New Zealand, that stood 82.25 m (269 ft 10.2 in) when last measured on 15 November 2018. The tape-drop was conducted by S Forrest, M Roberts and staff from Otago Polytechnic. Another close contender among planted trees is an 81.5-m (267-ft 4.7-in) mahogany (Entandrophragma excelsum) found in a remote valley in Tanzania in 2016.