IN ORDER TO DISCLOSE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE GIANT TREES OF ARAUCARIA, WE PREVENT A PREVIOUS WORK ACCEPTED IN THE MAGAZINE Scientia Agricola. Look at Figure 3 of the paper to understand why the giant class> 1.5 m in diameter. (Clique)

ABSTRACT: Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze is a native tree species of major importance in southern Brazil. It is a regional symbol due to its iconic shape and stature in the landscape; its wood was once economically important and its seeds are an important source of food for the fauna and are presently used in regional cuisine. Despite its importance and apparent abundance, the species is facing extinction caused mainly by unregulated exploitation and deforestation. This study catalogued the remaining individuals in order to add to the body of knowledge available on A. angustifolia, a species that has become rare across its historic range. The circumference at breast height (1.30 m), the total height, and the volume tree were measured (3,529 araucarias). Our cataloguing trees larger in diameter measured in loco over three years – a journey of more than 6,800 km. The volumes of these old trees are very large, ranging from 38.2 m3 to 106.6 m3 . The largest A. angustifolia individual is located in the state of Santa Catarina and measures 3.25 m in diameter. The giant araucarias with > 2.00 m in diameter are rare and only 13 individuals could be found in Southern Brazil; a priority action of governments is to recognize and preserve the monumental trees and a need for a public policy of specific inventories of large trees. Keywords: giant tree, large old tree, monumental trees, cavities trees, araucaria forest