BEIJING, May 18 (Xinhua) -- A 83.2-meter-high tree has recently been found in Zayu County in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, setting a new record for the tallest tree in China, according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

The record-breaking Abies ernestii var. salouenensis, with a diameter at breast height reaching 207 cm, was found in a vast tract of a virgin forest by a scientific expedition team from the Institute of Botany under the CAS.

It marks a new find in China's second scientific research survey of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, said the CAS.

The virgin forest of Abies ernestii var. salouenensis is spread throughout an area marked by hills and valleys that sits at an altitude of around 2,300 meters with other diverse and rare trees, orchids and fern species, according to Guo Ke, a researcher with the institute and leader of the team.

"Such a vast virgin and well-conserved forest is attributable to local weather and geological conditions, as well as rare human activities. Tree populations and ecosystems here are of great value to sci-research and ecological protection," said Guo.

The height of the tree exceeded a recently found 76.8-meter Pinus bhutanica in Medog County, Tibet, and a Taiwania cryptomerioides of around 81 to 82 meters in Taiwan.