If you’ve ever walked in an old forest, you’ve probably felt
the magic of nature before human fingerprints. Ancient trees are special, and
when you are talking about trees, ancient really means old. The oldest tree
species on earth, like the ginkgo,
were here before humankind, before the landmass divided into continents, even
before the dinosaurs.
Do you know which trees living today have the most candles
on their birthday cake? As an Earth Day or Arbor Day treat, we’ll introduce you
to some of the world’s oldest trees.
Some of the Oldest Trees on Earth
Below are some of the world’s oldest trees:
Methuselah Tree
Many experts give the Methuselah Tree, a Great Basin bristlecone
pine (Pinus longaeva), the gold medal as the oldest of ancient
trees. It is estimated to have been on earth for the past 4,800 years, give or
take a few.
The relatively short, but long-lived species, is found in
the American West, mostly in Utah, Nevada, and California and you can visit
this particular tree in Inyo County, California, USA—if you can find it. Its
location is not publicized to protect this tree from vandalism.
Sarv-e Abarkuh
Not all of the oldest trees around the world are found in
the United States. One ancient tree, a Mediterranean cypress
(Cupressus sempervirens), is found in Abarkuh, Iran. It may even be older
than Methuselah, with an estimated age ranging from 3,000 to 4,000 years.
The Sarv-e Abarkuh is a national natural monument in Iran.
It is protected by the Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran and has been
nominated to UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
General Sherman
It’s not surprising to find a redwood
among the oldest living trees. Both coastal redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens)
and giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum) break all the records, the
former as the world’s tallest living trees, the latter as the trees with the
most mass.
When it comes to the oldest trees around the world, a giant
sequoia called General Sherman is right up there at between 2,300 and 2,700 years
old. You can visit the General in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park
near Visalia, California, but be prepared for neck strain. This tree is 275
feet (84 m.) tall, with a mass of at least 1,487 cubic meters. That makes it
the largest non-clonal tree (not growing in clumps) in the world by volume.
Llangernyw Yew
Here is another international member of the “oldest trees around the world” club. This beautiful, common yew (Taxus baccata) is thought to be between 4,000 and 5,000 years old.
To see it, you’ll have to travel to Conwy, Wales and find
St. Digain’s Church in the Llangernyw village. The yew grows in the courtyard
with an age certificate signed by British botanist David Bellamy. This tree is
important in Welsh mythology, associated with the spirit Angelystor, said to
come on All Hallows’ Eve to foretell deaths in the parish.
If you’ve ever walked in an old forest, you’ve probably felt
the magic of nature before human fingerprints. Ancient trees are special, and
when you are talking about trees, ancient really means old. The oldest tree
species on earth, like the ginkgo,
were here before humankind, before the landmass divided into continents, even
before the dinosaurs.
Do you know which trees living today have the most candles
on their birthday cake? As an Earth Day or Arbor Day treat, we’ll introduce you
to some of the world’s oldest trees.
Some of the Oldest Trees on Earth
Below are some of the world’s oldest trees:
Methuselah Tree
Many experts give the Methuselah Tree, a Great Basin bristlecone
pine (Pinus longaeva), the gold medal as the oldest of ancient
trees. It is estimated to have been on earth for the past 4,800 years, give or
take a few.
The relatively short, but long-lived species, is found in
the American West, mostly in Utah, Nevada, and California and you can visit
this particular tree in Inyo County, California, USA—if you can find it. Its
location is not publicized to protect this tree from vandalism.
Sarv-e Abarkuh
Not all of the oldest trees around the world are found in
the United States. One ancient tree, a Mediterranean cypress
(Cupressus sempervirens), is found in Abarkuh, Iran. It may even be older
than Methuselah, with an estimated age ranging from 3,000 to 4,000 years.
The Sarv-e Abarkuh is a national natural monument in Iran.
It is protected by the Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran and has been
nominated to UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
General Sherman
It’s not surprising to find a redwood
among the oldest living trees. Both coastal redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens)
and giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum) break all the records, the
former as the world’s tallest living trees, the latter as the trees with the
most mass.
When it comes to the oldest trees around the world, a giant
sequoia called General Sherman is right up there at between 2,300 and 2,700 years
old. You can visit the General in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park
near Visalia, California, but be prepared for neck strain. This tree is 275
feet (84 m.) tall, with a mass of at least 1,487 cubic meters. That makes it
the largest non-clonal tree (not growing in clumps) in the world by volume.
Llangernyw Yew
Here is another international member of the “oldest trees around the world” club. This beautiful, common yew (Taxus baccata) is thought to be between 4,000 and 5,000 years old.
To see it, you’ll have to travel to Conwy, Wales and find
St. Digain’s Church in the Llangernyw village. The yew grows in the courtyard
with an age certificate signed by British botanist David Bellamy. This tree is
important in Welsh mythology, associated with the spirit Angelystor, said to
come on All Hallows’ Eve to foretell deaths in the parish.