New York City should carefully measure a new tree

A local observer argues that New York City’s long-cited tallest carefully measured tree, the Queens Giant (measured at 133.8 ft / 40.8 m tall with a 19 ft circumference in 2004), should be re-evaluated using modern data and field measurement. Using the citywide estimated tree objects derived from the May 2021 airborne LiDAR flight (published by The Nature Conservancy and the University of Vermont) plus raw classified point clouds from New York State GIS, earlier 2013-14 survey figures (Ma et al. 2023), and recent aerial imagery (NYS orthoimagery summer 2025 and USDA NAIP 2019 for Alley Pond), several promising candidates for taller trees are identified. An interactive 3D plot of observed canopies is provided to explore the LiDAR-derived crowns, heights, and canopy-ground relationships.

Beyond a lighthearted curiosity about finding the tallest tree, the piece stresses practical stakes: many large tulip trees in Inwood Hill Park - some likely centuries old - have been removed after branch failures, and knowing which specimens are the tallest or most significant could prioritize protection and careful measurement. The recommendation is for the parks department to conduct targeted, careful measurements of the LiDAR-flagged candidates rather than relying on decades-old data, both to update records and to help preserve notable urban trees.