Sabah’s rainforest standing tall

KOTA KINABALU: Besides the world recognised Danum Valley conservation area, Sabah is also standing tall for having tropical rainforest trees with record heights in many other areas.

Other areas with these tall majestic trees are at Tawau Hills Park, Tabin wildlife reserve and Maliau Basin conservation area, said Sabah Forest Department Chief Conser­vator Datuk Sam Mannan.

The Carnegie Institute of Science at Stanford University – which declared a Shorea faguetiana (or seraya kuning siput) in Danum Valley as the world’s tallest tropical tree – has affirmed that Tawau Hills Park contained trees of almost similar height, said Mannan.

“We also know of other areas such as Tabin and Maliau that have trees of such height but this needs further study,” he added.

Mannan said there were at least a thousand trees at heights of about 90m in Sabah.

Last week, Mannan said plans were under way to allow the public to experience the world’s tallest tropical tree in Danum Valley.

The 94.1m seraya kuning siput tree is as tall as the Penang Menara Umno building.

A recent five-day expedition by department personnel found the exact location of the tree within the 438sq km Danum Valley, which is about twice the size of Penang island.

The expedition found the tree about 150m from the Ulu Purut Research Station, which itself is about 7km east of the Danum Valley Field Centre.

Mannan said the expedition also made other interesting finds, including two scenic waterfalls.

The researchers also carried out studies on soil and forest structure.

The seraya kuning siput tree became the focus of international attention after ecologist Prof Gregory Asner of the Carnegie Institute of Science at Stanford University announced its claim to fame at the Heart of Borneo conference last November.