The oldest named individual tree, christened “Methuselah”, was found by Dr Edmund Schulman (USA) and dated in 1957 from core samples as being more than 4,800 years old (4,852 years as of 2020); this age was later crossdated and confirmed by dendrochronologist Tom Harlan (d. 2013) at the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research at the University of Arizona. An even older specimen of bristlecone sampled by Schulman in the White Mountains before he died was also crossdated by Tom Harlan, but not until 2009. This sample was also from a living tree, so the tree is aged 5,070 years as of 2020; this unnamed tree is currently the oldest verified living tree in the world. The precise locations of these trees are kept secret to protect them from vandalism/damage from over-trampling. The annual growth rings of old trees provide a valuable insight into our changing climate: the bristlecone climate record from dead wood extends back more than 9,000 years. The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is located at around 3,050 metres (10,000 feet) above sea level in the White Mountains, east of the Sierra Nevada. Over time, the wind and rain has moulded the trees into strange shapes and forms made even more unusual by the sunshine, altitude and crisp air. Dr Schulman was a scientist from the University of Arizona when he came across Methuselah and an area in the forest is named the Schulman Grove in his honour.
Methuselah is classed as “individual” as it is not a clone. It is rare for any individual tree to exceed 3,000–4,000 years old.
Credit : Guinness World Records
Picture Credit : Google
