| Big Tree in Chirinda Forest | |
| Location: | Zimbabwe |
| Height: | 65 |
| Diameter: | 4.5 |
Big Tree (or The Big Tree in Chirinda Forest) is the tallest indigenous tree in Zimbabwe, and a declared National Monument. The tree is 65 metres tall and 4.5 metres wide.[1] Its age is approximately 1,000 years.[2] The tree is located in the centre of Chirinda Forest (formerly known as Selinda) in southeast Zimbabwe at the southernmost part of the country's Eastern Highlands. Big Tree is a Khaya anthotheca or Nyasa redwood tree (previously referred to as Khaya nyasica). In December 1986, it reached 65 metres tall[1] and 5.25 metres wide. The trunk is heavily buttressed at the base, which complicates measurement.
Big Tree is protected within the Chirinda Forest Botanical Reserve, administered by Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Estate. It sustained damage from people carving their initials into it. The tree is dying, indicated by its declining height and the loss of its topmost branches. Whether this is due to human damage or a natural process is unknown.
Khaya anthotheca is a beautiful species of great importance. Specimens planted in urban areas, particularly Harare and Mutare have achieved massive size and height and often threaten buildings.[3] They are not protected on private land in Zimbabwe.
Large specimens are notable in older suburbs such as Avondale and Greendale. In Mutare, a site near the Botanical Gardens features a row of 26 giant trees in various states of health. In many places, the trees are home to hundreds of epiphytic orchids and are a favourite vantage perch for large birds, including the augur buzzard, bat hawks, pied crows, and silvery-cheeked hornbills.