Have you ever wondered how old our planet’s oldest trees are? Although most trees live for less than a century, some ancient trees have stood for several thousand years. In this article, we will look at 10 of the oldest trees as verified by scientists. Get ready to be amazed by these living monuments that have silently witnessed the rise and fall of civilizations!
Before we go to the top ten list, we must first understand how scientists measured the exact ages of these trees. Scientists carefully study the growth rings inside the trunk to establish a tree’s age. Through the precise and careful process of counting the rings and applying cross-dating techniques, they can confidently arrive at the exact age of the living or dead trees with the most rings.
1. Prometheus - 4,900+ Years Old
The bristlecone pine called “Prometheus” cut down in 1964 is the oldest tree on the Earth at over 4,900 years! Their rugged and weathered appearance makes them appear as if they are from a different planet. This tree was planted around 2500 BC in what today is the White Mountains range of California.
2. Methuselah - 4,856 Years Old
Following Prometheus’ death, Methuselah became the oldest known living tree at the age of 4,856 years in 2024. This twisted bristlecone pine in California’s White Mountains germinated somewhere around 2833 BC – even before the earliest pyramids of ancient Egypt! Scientists keep its exact location hidden to protect it from damage such as vandalism.
3. Alerce Milenario/Gran Abuelo - 3,653 Years Old
The third oldest tree is the majestic “Alerce Milenario,” located in Chile’s Alerce Costero National Park. This tree is close to 180 ft (55 m) tall and has a huge gnarled trunk that looks like a majestic guard tower above the forest. The largest of these is a giant tree certified as 3,653 years old, hence its name of “Gran Abuelo” in Spanish, which translates as “Great Grandfather.”
4. CBR26 - 3266 Years Old
Deep in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, there was one ancient giant sequoia tree nicknamed CBR26. This tree lived for 3,266 years before it finally passed away. These grand sequoias are cousins of the General Sherman tree, the largest tree system in the world. CBR26 possessed a trunk of more than 20 ft (6 m) in diameter at its base during its long lifetime.
5. D-21 - 3,248 Years Old
Another of the ancient giant sequoia trees that once towered over California’s Sierra Nevada mountains was D-21. Scientists determined D-21 lived an astonishing 3,248 years before finally passing away. Giant sequoias are some of the largest trees on the planet, able to reach skyscrapers over 250 feet (76 meters) tall during their incredibly long lifespans.
6. D-23 - 3,103 Years Old
D-23 was another tremendously old giant sequoia specimen from the Sierra Nevada that grew for around 3,103 years before dying. The reddish-brown trunks of giant sequoias have thick, spongy bark that helps insulate and protect the trees from wildfires that occasionally sweep through their forest homes.
7. CMC 3 - 3,061 Years Old
Living among the ancient sequoia giants in California’s Sierra Nevada was CMC 3, which survived for approximately 3,061 years before its death. During its millennia-spanning lifetime, CMC 3’s trunk grew impossibly wide – likely measuring over 25 feet (7.6 meters) in diameter at its base! The girth of these trees is almost as astounding as their great ages.
8. Scofield Juniper - 2,675 Years Old
The Scofield Juniper was an ancient Sierra juniper tree that grew for around 2,675 years in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains before dying. This gnarled and twisted juniper had a remarkably flat top, likely sculpted over centuries by the harsh winds that battered it in the rugged western mountain ranges. The Scofield Juniper’s resilience allowed it to thrive for over two and a half millennia in one of the most unforgiving environments on the continent.
9. BLK227 - 2,649 Years Old
The ancient tree known as BLK227 was a bald cypress that stood for around 2,649 years along the Black River near Three Sisters Cove in North Carolina before dying. Bald cypress trees thrive in swampy wetland areas like this, sending out wide, knobby “knee” roots to help them stay upright in the soft, soggy ground. For over 26 centuries, BLK227 was a living monument in these southern cypress swamps.
10. CB-90-11 - 2,466 Years Old
Rounding out the top ten oldest trees is CB-90-11, a bristlecone pine from the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado that lived approximately 2,466 years. This ancient and twisted pine survived over two millennia at elevations over 11,000 feet (3,350 m) in one of the world’s harshest, arid environments. The gnarled CB-90-11 exemplifies the incredible resilience of bristlecone pines.
From gnarled bristlecone pines and towering sequoias to ancient bald cypress trees, the oldest trees have survived millennia against incredible odds like fires, storms, and changing climates. Their astounding longevity reminds us of the remarkable biodiversity and resilience life can achieve on Earth over long periods. While no longer living, their tree rings provide a window into past environments.
References
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Pinus longaeva (Great Basin bristlecone pine) description – The Gymnosperm Database. (n.d.). https://www.conifers.org/pi/Pinus_longaeva.php
Lara, A., & Villalba, R. (1993, May 21). A 3620-Year Temperature Record from Fitzroya cupressoides Tree Rings in Southern South America. Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.260.5111.1104
ESTIMATED AGES OF SOME LARGE GIANT SEQUOIAS: GENERAL SHERMAN KEEPS GETTING YOUNGER on JSTOR. (n.d.). www.jstor.org. https://www.jstor.org/stable/41425345(1996). OLDLIST: A DATABASE OF MAXIMUM TREE AGES. www.rmtrr.org. Retrieved April 13, 2024, from https://www.rmtrr.org/data/OldList_1996.pdf
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Stahle, D. W., Edmondson, J. R., Howard, I. M., Robbins, C. R., Griffin, R. D., Carl, A., Hall, C. B., Stahle, D. K., & Torbenson, M. C. A. (2019, May 1). Longevity, climate sensitivity, and conservation status of wetland trees at Black River, North Carolina. Environmental Research Communications, 1(4), 041002. https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/ab0c4a
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