Have you ever wondered as you walk through the woods that many trees here grew many years before you were born? Trees are perhaps the most enduring of all living species. They may very well be hundreds of years old, but even these numbers are not a limit.
let’s find out more about it. When it comes to identifying the oldest tree on Earth, there is a pretty obvious problem. It is already difficult to measure all the trees without forgetting a single one since there are more than 3 trillion! in 1957, after 20 years of continuous search
The tree in question turned out to be a Pinus longaeva, estimated to be 4851 years old in 2022. The record holder even has a name – the pine is called Methuselah – and the tree grows in California, in the Inyo national park.
The obvious question is how the tree survived such a long period of time. Scientists explain this by the unique characteristics of the species. The needles of the power plant are replaced only once every few decades, which saves a lot of resources for maintenance.
The tree has a dense structure and is rich in resin, which prevents pests from entering and spreading through the trunk. But if for some reason any part of the tree is damaged, it hurts me, preventing the problem from spreading to the entire trunk.
The climate of the park also helps the trees: the absence of high humidity and the distance between the trees prevent them from rotting and spreading fire in the event of lightning. This is why a number of long-lived pines are found in the forest, except Methuselah.
