The oldest trees in the world: record holders
Trees have a significantly longer lifespan than humans. Yet these plants exceed all expectations. How old is the oldest tree in the world?
When determining the oldest living trees, there is no single standard. This is because different criteria can be used to define a tree’s age. While some only consider the above-ground shoot system and crown, others also examine what lies beneath the ground. In addition, even the “Methuselahs” among trees are not immune to decay. As a result, the ranking of the oldest, largest, heaviest, and most powerful trees is constantly changing.
The oldest trees: record holders
The oldest tree in the world, measured by its above-ground part, is a bristlecone pine in the White Mountains of California (USA), which is over 5,000 years old. In Fulufjället National Park (Sweden), there is “Old Tjikko,” a Norway spruce whose root system has been dated to 9,550 years. The clonal colony “Pando” in Fishlake National Forest (USA) has an even more astonishing aspen rhizome estimated to be 80,000 years old. The oldest tree species on Earth is the ginkgo, which has inhabited the planet for 200 million years.
Old Tjikko: a solitary survivor
Officially, the oldest tree in the world stands in Fulufjället National Park in Dalarna, Sweden. Named by its discoverer Leif Kullman, a professor of physical geography, after his dog, the tree is estimated to be over 9,550 years old. Old Tjikko is by no means a mysterious exotic species but a Norway spruce (Picea abies), the same species that grows widely in our forests. Normally, a Norway spruce—if not harvested by the timber industry—can live up to 600 years in a good location. That is already an impressive age.
The visible part of Old Tjikko is only a few hundred years old. The record lies in its root system, which has been dated to nearly 10,000 years. When the above-ground trunk dies, a new stem grows from the roots. This is why Old Tjikko is sometimes controversially referred to as the “oldest tree in the world.” If one considers the root system instead, there is another record holder.
The oldest individual trees in the world
All three oldest trees in the world—where only the trunk and crown are considered, not the root system—are or were bristlecone pines (Pinus longaeva) from the USA. The name is fitting: bristlecone pines grow at elevations above 2,000 meters and are extremely hardy trees that withstand rocky terrain, winter storms, and harsh cold.
In the White Mountains (California), there are 17 specimens whose age has been determined to exceed 4,000 years. Third place goes to “Methuselah,” at 4,850 years. Just ahead of it in second place is “Prometheus,” at 4,862 years. This remarkable tree unfortunately fell victim to scientific logging in 1964 by mistake. The nearly 5,000 growth rings in its cross-section caused considerable surprise.
The currently oldest living tree in the world is believed to be over 5,000 years old. However, the core sample used to determine its age was lost after analysis in 2012 and could not be further verified. The exact locations of these ancient trees in the White Mountains are kept secret to protect them from tourists.
The oldest tree species in the world
The oldest tree species on the planet, which has changed only minimally since its origin, is the ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba). This species is considered a “living fossil,” as it already looked essentially the same 200 million years ago. The earliest fossil records of ginkgo date back to the Jurassic period.
The fan-shaped tree bears neither needles nor typical leaves and is placed in its own botanical class (Ginkgoopsida). Natural populations today are found only in southwestern China. Cultivated varieties are widespread worldwide as ornamental trees. Individual ginkgo trees can grow up to 40 meters tall and live up to 1,000 years.
