For the first time ever, a tree has passed the 25-meter mark in Iceland.
A Sitka spruce. Source: Wikipedia.
The tree is located in a slope above the village of Kirkjubæjarklaustur, South Iceland, in a forested area.
The planting of trees in the area began in 1940. The area is privately owned but has been supervised by the Iceland Forest Service since 1964.
The record breaking Sitka spruce, which reaches 25.5 meters/82.6 feet, was planted in 1949, and is still growing, according to the Iceland Forest Service (Skógrækt Ríkisins).
The Sitka spruce, which acquired its name from the Sitka community in Alaska, is by far the largest species of spruce and the fifth largest conifer in the world.
The species is one of very few which has been documented to reach 100 meters/300 feet in height. The tree in Kirkjubæjarklaustur still has a long, long way to go.
The species was first planted in Iceland in the early to mid-1900s.
A photo of the tree can be viewed here.
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