KUALA LUMPUR, June 8 — In the computer game Minecraft, Yellow Meranti trees are not known for their height but researchers in Malaysia recently discovered that one such tree in the heart of Sabah may very well be the tallest so far in the tropics.

At a towering 89.5 metres, the tree is roughly the height of about 20 double decker buses stacked up, according to a report today on UK-based Mail Online.

The tree, in an unexplored region of Sabah’s Maliau Basin known as The Lost World, is believed to be 1.2 metres ahead of the previous record-holder of the same genre in Tawau Hills National Park, an adjacent district in Sabah.

Mail Online reported that the discovery of the tree and the new record was made by Sabah Forestry Department and University of Cambridge researchers who spotted it using a LiDAR scanner — a machine which produces detailed 3D images of rainforest canopies over hundreds of square kilometres.

“'It's a smidgen taller than the record, which makes it quite probably the tallest tree recorded in the Tropics!,” said research team leader Dr David Coomes in the article posted online.

“Conserving these giants is really important. Huge trees like the Yellow Meranti, are crucial for maintaining the health of the forest and its ecology, “ he was quoted as saying.

The Yellow Meranti tree is currently classified as an endangered species. It is among one of the forest trees that can be planted in the popular computer game “Minecraft”.

The tree is of such great heights that the only way to measure it was to climb it, and take a tape measure along.

Mail Online’s report said Unding Jami, an expert tree-climber from Sabah, confirmed the tree’s height but texted when he was at the top that he could not manage to take photos because “there’s an eagle around that keeps trying to attack me and also lots of bees”.

According to Coomes, such tall trees are among the largest and longest-living organisms on earth.

“But they are difficult to find, and monitor regularly, which is where planes carrying LiDAR can help.

“It's exciting to know that these iconic giants of the forest are alive and well so close to this major restoration project,” he was quoted saying.

The Sabah government has made a commitment to close off the sprawling 20,000ha of forests for a strategic conservation plan that will enable only basic infrastructure for research purposes to be carried out.

Various international and local organisations have helped to build satellite camps, trail and bridge construction, observation towers, a Maliau skybridge and a reception and information building.