Scientists found a brand new tree species hiding in a Malaysian forest for almost 40 years. The tree called Timonious pasohensis was first collected way back in 1985 at Pasoh Forest Reserve in Negeri Sembilan. Researchers only figured out it was a completely new species last year when they published their findings. The discovery happened during a tree count at the famous research site. Forest experts had been walking past the mystery tree for decades without realizing what they had.
The Forest Research Institute Malaysia runs the research station where scientists study jungle life. Director-general Datuk Dr Ismail Parlan spoke about the find at a big seminar yesterday. He told the crowd that researchers measure and tag every single tree in their 50-hectare plot every five years. The forest reserve became an official research site back in 1977. Teams from Japan, Taiwan and other countries work together with Malaysian scientists there.
The forest station has become a hotspot for wildlife research with 60 camera traps capturing endangered animals. Scientists also study how much carbon the trees store and how climate change affects the jungle. A giant 52-meter tower helps researchers measure temperature, wind and rainfall. The research work has produced more than 411 scientific papers since the station opened. Workers are building a new facility with offices, labs and meeting rooms to handle all the research projects.
The Forest Research Institute Malaysia runs the research station where scientists study jungle life. Director-general Datuk Dr Ismail Parlan spoke about the find at a big seminar yesterday. He told the crowd that researchers measure and tag every single tree in their 50-hectare plot every five years. The forest reserve became an official research site back in 1977. Teams from Japan, Taiwan and other countries work together with Malaysian scientists there.
The forest station has become a hotspot for wildlife research with 60 camera traps capturing endangered animals. Scientists also study how much carbon the trees store and how climate change affects the jungle. A giant 52-meter tower helps researchers measure temperature, wind and rainfall. The research work has produced more than 411 scientific papers since the station opened. Workers are building a new facility with offices, labs and meeting rooms to handle all the research projects.
