An enormous capacity to capture carbon dioxide, a vital role in the distribution of rainfall, and the ability to register the cycles of the Amazon – these are some of the services provided by the giant trees of North Brazil, especially the red angelim – Dinizia excelsa – a species that can grow to be over 80 meters tall.
The presence of its specimens in the Amazon forest was documented recently. The first giant trees were found in 2019. In 2022, an 88.5-meter-tall red angelim tree – equivalent to a 30-story building – was revealed to be the largest tree in Brazil, located in the municipality of Almeirim, Pará state.
In total, 20 specimens over 70 meters tall were spotted in an area stretching along the Jari river, on the border between the states of Pará and Amapá. The scientist who made the discovery immediately began studies to better understand the conditions that led to its growth and gauge its full potential.
Studies
“These trees are almost twice the average height of Amazonian species, which are around 40 to 50 meters tall. We’re talking about trees that absorb twice as much carbon and therefore can contribute twice as much to climate regulation,” Diego Armando Silva, a researcher at the Federal Institute of Amapá, said.
The studies are still in progress, but some theories are already promising. “A single tree of this type could represent 80 percent of the biomass of the surrounding one hectare around it,” he pointed out.
This estimate implies that a single individual with these characteristics may be capable of absorbing 80 percent of the carbon dioxide in the entire area surveyed. However, Silva explained that further studies are needed to assess whether these trees also emit large volumes of carbon dioxide and how much they contribute to capturing and releasing water into the atmosphere, as well as to confirm their age.
“We were in contact with a group of researchers interested in the age of cedars, a species with clear growth rings, around the angelim trees. They figured out that they’re about 260 years old. Based on that, we estimated that these red angelim trees are 400 to 500 years old,” he stated.
Threat
Despite holding the answers to many of the questions about the Amazon biome, these centuries-old trees may be under threat from climate change. And since they are spread out over a large area, each occupies a territory with a different level of protection.
While the tallest tree is found in Pará, the second – which is 85.4 meters tall – is in Laranjal do Jari, in the neighboring state of Amapá. “Even though Amapá is a state notably covered by protected areas, we have two striking circumstances. The first is that many giant trees stand outside conservation units, and the second is that the commercial exploitation of the red angelim is allowed,” said Ângela Kuczach, executive director of the NGO Pro-Conservation Units Network.
Protection
he NGO led by Kuczach is part of a campaign entitled Protect Giant Trees, promoted by the institute O Mundo Que Queremos (“The World We Want”), in partnership with environmental organizations and researchers. The movement, she said, works to mobilize society and pressure public authorities for greater protection so that future generations can become acquainted with these specimens.
“The largest red angelim tree in Brazil today is the third largest tree in the world. When it was discovered, it was located in a state forest, Flota do Paru, which is a conservation unit that allows timber extraction. That’s what the category is for, for forest management,” recalls Ângela.
The mobilization resulted in the creation of the Amazon Giant Trees State Environmental Park in September 2024 – a fully protected conservation unit covering 560 hectares. The new territory classification, she added, is a major step forward, but it cannot keep the giant trees out of danger by itself.
“We’re talking about an area with a lot of mining going on around it. The region is seriously threatened by deforestation and land grabbing,” she noted.
Process
According to Nilson Pinto, president of the Pará State Institute for Forest and Biodiversity Development, efforts to complete the park are underway. “We issued a public call for people, entities, authorities, and residents to qualify to serve on its management council. We’re in that process now. This is essential because it’s the council’s job to approve the management plan, drafted by our institute with the support of the Amazon Sustainable Foundation,” he said.
The institute is a state agency responsible for managing conservation units in Pará. According to Nilson Pinto, surveillance in the Paru Forest and its surrounding area already plays a strong protective role.
“The Pará state forest is really well preserved. What we have there, which is normal in a state forest – which is basically intended for forest management – is a number of companies doing forest management under our supervision and very little deforestation, very little indeed,” he declared.
The difficult access to the location of the giant trees adds extra protection to the specimens, he went on to remark.
Solutions
Ângela Kuczach believes protection should be stepped up and science be used to find new ways of decreasing the number of giant trees felled outside the identified territory. “We may have the largest giant tree of all yet to be discovered, and it may already be threatened because it may be outside a conservation unit,” she argued.
Researcher Diego Armando Silva advocated the advance of research and monitoring to protect giant trees already known and locate new ones. “The first steps are the creation of a management committee and a management plan, which could include a plan for tree visitation, environmental education, research, and data management, so we can also welcome researchers from all over Brazil and the world,” he concluded saying.
Source: Agência Brasil