Record tree is fir higher than most

Wood you believe it? A tree near Lake Vyrnwy has been declared the joint tallest in the UK.

Keen tree-climber Michael Spraggon has measured the Douglas fir tree at 63.79m (209ft), matching the height of the UK's reputedly tallest tree in Scotland.

The measurement puts the tree more than 75ft taller than Shrewsbury's landmark Lord Hill's column, near the Shirehall.

It is also more than 35ft higher than the transmitter on top of The Wrekin, although it is dwarfed by Shropshire's tallest structure – the chimney at Ironbridge Power Station which stands 205m (670ft) tall.

Mr Spraggon, 36, from Oxfordshire, took up the challenge of measuring the Lake Vyrnwy tree after hearing Scottish tree-climbers talk about the Stronardron Douglas fir, near Dunans Castle, Argyll, Scotland, which they said had been officially recorded as the tallest tree in the UK at 63.79m.

He said: "I knew a company called Tree Dimension had measured the Lake Vyrnwy tree back in 2005 using a rope dangling from the top, which was then measured back on the ground.

"However, this would give an underestimation of the height as the rope would be stretching under its own weight – and the tree may have grown in the four years since they measured it."

Mr Spraggon, along with climbing partner Dave Hunt, set out to measure the Lake Vyrnwy fir and were amazed to discover it was measured 63.79m – matching the UK's tallest.

"David Alderman at the Tree Register of the British Isles (Trobi), who keep records of champion trees in the British Isles, confirmed the two trees will be listed as joint champions, with the Scottish fir at Stronardron on top due to its greater volume of wood," he said.

Mr Alderman, Trobi registrar, said: "We have three joint champions as there is a Douglas fir at Reelig Glen Wood, near Inverness, recorded as being 64m by the Forestry Commission, but unlike the other two it has not been confirmed by climbing.

"These three trees, all Douglas firs, have been vying for tallest tree since 1992 and have at certain times each held the title so while they are still growing at a similar rate it seems fair to record them as joint champions."

Douglas firs are named after Scottish botanist David Douglas, who lived from 1798-1834 and introduced many North American conifers to Europe.

By Suzanne Roberts