This tree claims the title of “the oldest tree in the world”. See why it exists and where you can find it.
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Not many living organisms have been around long enough to witness the transition from the Ice Age tundra to the warm human-dominated world we know today. But on a remote hillside in southern Chile, there is a Patagonian cypress known as the Alerce Milenario that may be as old as 5,000 years. If its age is confirmed by ongoing studies, it would secure a place among the oldest living trees on Earth.
This ancient cypress has withstood volcanic eruptions, glacial cycles, colonial logging and climate change. It has outlived human civilization itself. And yet, it continues to grow.
A tree born before written history
View of the “Alerce Milenario” in the Alerce Costero National Park in Valdivia, Chile, taken on April 10, 2023. – In a forest in southern Chile, protected from fires and logging that decimated the species, a giant vigilant tree has survived for thousands of years. Scientists see in its trunk a valuable record of how life adapts to changes on the planet. The Great Grandfather tree, 28 meters tall and four meters in diameter, is in the process of being certified as the oldest on the planet at more than 5,000 years, older than the Methuselah pine of the United States, which was recognized as the oldest in the world at 4,850 years. (Photo by MARTIN BERNETTI / AFP) (Photo by MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP via Getty Images)
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The Patagonian cypress (Fitzroya cupressoides) grows in the cool, humid forests of Chile and Argentina. It is a relative of the redwoods, famous for growing over 200 feet tall and living for thousands of years.
However, this particular tree – nicknamed Alerce Milenario (“the thousand-year-old pine”) or Gran Abuelo (“the great-grandfather”) – is something entirely different. In particular, he has somehow lived:
- Five glacial cycles
- The rise and fall of ancient civilizations
- The entire history of the written word
- The Holocene warming and cooling pulses
It’s so old, in fact, that its first rings were formed at a time when mammoths still roamed Siberia.
Why do these trees live so long?
As research from Selbyana notes, Long-lived trees have three main characteristics that allow them to outlive their counterparts:
- Excellent wear resistance. Their wood contains natural chemicals that slow the rotting process while also repelling insects. In Fitzroya cupressoidesthis resin-rich heartwood is so durable that cut pieces have been known to survive for centuries — even when left in seawater.
- Stable, cool climate. The temperate rainforests of Chile and Argentina are among the most stable on Earth. In turn, they offer cypress trees like Alerce Milenario plenty of moisture and few lightning storms.
- Slow, deliberate growth. Slow-growing trees produce much denser wood than faster-growing ones. This dense wood, in turn, becomes almost like armor.
But the Patagonian cypress has an additional advantage: isolation. Much of the forest where the oldest individuals grow is remote, steep, and historically difficult for people to access.
Science behind its time
Tree ages are usually measured by core. This refers to the process of boring a pencil-thin tube through the trunk in order to count the number of growth rings. However, Gran Abuelo is so massive that its heartwood is inaccessible. even the most advanced exercises cannot reach the center.
Given this barrier, researchers have begun to combine several partial cores, fragmented samples from fallen branches, and growth rate models. These resources, compared to similar trees, eventually allowed its age to be estimated. Current analyzes suggest an age of between 4,000 and over 5,300 years, making it a candidate for oldest tree in the world.
During its lifetime, this unique cypress has endured the advance and retreat of Andean glaciers, massive volcanic eruptions across Patagonia, centuries of forest fires, as well as European colonization and widespread deforestation. And it still remains today.
The modern threat of the ancient giant
Today, paradoxically, the greatest threat to this ancient cypress is the enormous interest its age has garnered. The once isolated area has attracted hikers, tourists and attention on social media. Therefore, increased foot traffic further compacts the soil around the tree’s roots, while also damaging the already fragile forest.
Station guards now monitor the area daily. Scientists are urging the public to admire the tree from a distance to ensure that something that has survived five ice ages does not meet its end through human curiosity.
Besides, it wouldn’t be the first time a historic tree was cut down due to human activity/incompetence. The famous ones tree of Tenere he lived for hundreds of years in the middle of the Sahara desert before he was allegedly hit and run over by a drunken desert driver.
Some organisms outlive cultures. Some transcend the seasons. The Alerce Milenario—if current research is anything to go by—has outlasted Earth’s climate seasons. It started as a seedling when the world felt like a different planet.
It’s not just a tree. it is a stamp of nature’s enduring presence, carved in wood.
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