The Tallest Tree in the Amazon Rainforest: Dinizia excelsa

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Looking up at these trees is like at a pillar leading to the heavens. 

Dinizea excelsa

Characteristics: A tropical rainforest tree species that reaches beyond 200 feet in its lifetime of centuries

Habitat: Native to Brazil and Guyana, this tree is rooted in rainforests not subject to constant inundation

Diet: Photosynthesis; a process where tree leaves absorb sunlight with their vast canopy

Conservation: Least Concern


I included this post in the Amazon Rainforest series because of one fact: Dinizea excelsa is the tallest tree in the Amazon Rainforest. This is a pretty self-explanatory fact, but I wanted to write a post on a tree. And this is a rather special tree. So here it goes. 


In an earlier post, I noted that the Amazon Rainforest serves as a carbon sinkhole for our planet, taking in tons and tons of carbon dioxide from the choking atmosphere. A carbon sinkhole is a place that takes in more carbon dioxide than it emits, and after considering all the natural, untouched land populated by seas and seas of trees, I didn't doubt that the Amazon qualified as a carbon sinkhole. 


And it was a carbon sinkhole. However, in 2022, scientists have officially confirmed that the Amazon emits more carbon than it takes in, making this rainforest the opposite of a sinkhole. Just as easily as I believed that the Amazon was a carbon sinkhole, I believe this new fact. Wildfires have been burning at an unprecedented rate, contributing greatly to carbon emissions. But the destruction these fires leave behind is just as destructive as the actual fires. 


Deforestation is already a top issue in the Amazon because of urban development, meat and soybean production, and mining. With wildfires taking down even more trees, it's no wonder that the Amazon is now a carbon source and not a sinkhole. 


Of course, trees are important everywhere around the world because they provide habitats for communities, stabilize soil in ecosystems, take in carbon dioxide, and release fresh oxygen for the world. We all know trees are important, yet deforestation still occurs at tens of millions of hectares a year. In addition, Brazil is reaching the highest rates of deforestation in over a decade. Considering that each tree absorbs 50 pounds of carbon dioxide a year, think about how many tons ten million trees could absorb.  


This is why the tree species like Dinizea excelsa are so important to the Amazon. With its trunk and branches reaching beyond 200 feet, Dinizea excelsa is a prime target for lumber companies. But what's also curious is the endurance of these trees. Despite human development and natural disasters, Dinizea excelsa can live up to 600 years in the Amazon. Being both tall and heavy, strong winds can easily knock these giants down, especially with loose soils not securing the tree roots. 


However, researchers have found that Dinizea excelsa species are located in places that are far enough from urban development to avoid being cut down and can protect the trees from high winds and storms.  With a habitat that allows Dinizea excelsa trees to live for centuries, these giants can continue playing their role in the Amazon Rainforest. 


But does a taller tree mean it's a more important tree? Unlike height expectations in humans, yes. Taller trees generally store more carbon because their canopies can reach more sunlight. Older trees are able to store more carbon as well; in addition, trees often grow faster with age.  


Being both tall and old, Dinizea excelsa trees can store up to 40 tons of carbon. That's around the same amount as 30-50 regular-sized trees! 


There's a strong argument for the conservation of this tree species, and although Dinizea excelsa species are rooted far away from human development, it may not be long before the blaze of deforestation reaches them. We can do our part in preventing the fall of these giants, but Dinizea excelsa isn't entirely hopeless on its own either; these giants have survived centuries of natural disasters and anthropogenic catastrophes. in their untouched part of the rainforest. 


For the Amazon's sake and ours, these incredible trees need to keep standing tall in the battlefield of destruction they're in. And without our disruption, Dinizea excelsa will be able to keep thriving for centuries to come. As will the Amazon rainforest.














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