I was trying to find out where the oldest living tree in the world would be. And after a few googles I came across various claims. This 9,550 year old spruce has been discovered in Dalarna, Sweden. A favourable climate has produced an upright trunk since the beginning of the 1940s. (Credit: Leif Kullman).But I am not sure if this is the oldest tree. I wish I knew someone that knew more about trees.
2 comments:
I happen to know something about trees, believe it or don't. It all comes down to the age-old debate (in which we have all engaged at some point in time with a cold pint): stems or roots?
What you're looking at there is an old root system, not an old stem (upright tree, my friend). You will not find 9,550 rings on that tree, no matter how good or how high you can count.
What you've got here is a self-cloning spruce that shoots from older growth so there is an unbroken chain of life that dates back a whole lot of years. However, the original ancient growth in these colonies is long dead.
Instead, it is widely believed that the oldest single living organisms (trees) known are bristlecone pines.
Others have argued (Leopold) that Alerce (Fitzroya cupresoides), named by Darwin in honor of Fitzroy, the captain of the Beagle, is actually the oldest living species (instead of its current status as second oldest). Problem is, the suckers are big, real big, too big to core. The longest record for Alerce is just shy of 4,000 years old.
Thanks for your interest in trees, our coniferous friends.
back in the day, I engaged in debates about stems and seeds...not stems and roots...but if I have enough box wine I can now discuss either equally well...I am glad you cleared up the point concerning the picture and the claim...Because I was thinking no way is that little bitty scrub oak looking thing that old....my complete tree knowledge is old school and I still believe you need to see rings and a guy standing next to a sawed-in-half fat trunk to tell the age...I am just wondering how these people know that little tree is that old or the root system is that old? do they do some DNA testing or use a magic 8 ball?
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