Trees live longer than humans and longer than anything else on Earth, from 50 years to more than a few thousand years depending on the species.

The majestic bristlecone pine tree in California is one of the oldest known trees on earth, with an estimated age of about 5 thousand years, and it has already retained the title of the oldest tree on earth until 2022, when a cypress tree was found in Chile, which is It is more than 600 years older than it, in addition to the spruce tree in Sweden, which natural scientists estimate is 10 thousand years old, but the calculation of its age is not without controversy.

Scientists calculate the age of the tree after cutting it near the base to calculate its rings (websites)

Spruce trees in Sweden .. a discovery not without controversy

According to the "How Stuff Works" website, to see the oldest tree in the world, one must travel to the top of a mountain in Sweden called "Fulu" (Fulu), where he found a "fir" tree whose age is estimated at Almost 10 thousand years.

This spruce was discovered by scientists surveying tree species at Mount Vulu in Dalarna Province in 2004. Its age was confirmed by carbon dating in 2008.

Then Leif Kullmann, a professor of physical geography at the Swedish Umeå universitet, led a team of researchers to a spot near the top of the mountain, where they found a group of fir trees that were more than 8,000 years old, and among them was evidence of a tree One 9550 years ago.

Coleman named the tree "Old Tjikko" in honor of his late dog.

However, the discovery of the mountain spruce is not without controversy;

The tree's age is attributed to its long-lived root system.

As for the visible part of it (i.e. the trunk, branches, cones and needles), it lives for only about 600 years.

When a stem dies, a new cloned stem is formed to take its place.

In this regard, the researchers say that the ability to replace a new stem from the tree's root system was a key factor for its long survival.

Scientists wonder if this is a single tree, which is a question scientists and researchers may need to discuss.

Bristlecone pine tree in California.. Why does it live so long?

The Bristlecone Pine, which has its roots in the White Mountains of eastern California, is called Methuselah.

Until recently, it was believed to be the oldest tree in the world.

But why does the Bristlecone pine live so long?

Trees Atlanta answers this question by saying that these trees belong to a category called extreme organisms, which means species that can withstand harsh environmental conditions, including extreme temperatures and very cold temperatures associated with high winds, in addition to Slow growth rate and dense wood.

Due to its slow growth and dense wood, rough surface pine is resistant to insects, fungus, rot and decay.

The lack of vegetation also makes Bristlecone pine trees rarely affected by forest fires.

A cypress tree was found in Chile, which is more than 600 years older than the Bristlecone pine tree (Anatolia)

Cypress tree in Chile

The Patagonian cypress tree was discovered in Chile in 2022, and it is known as "Gran Abuelo", meaning the great-grandfather or "Alerce Milenario", and it is believed that it is a candidate to become the oldest tree in the world, and it can replace the Bristlecone pine, The age of this tree, which was found growing in a valley in the Alers Costero National Park in Chile, is estimated at 5484 years, which is more than 600 years older than the "Methuselah" tree.

It was Chilean ecologist Jonathan Barichevicz who found and studied the tree, but since he estimated the tree's age based on a partial core sample, there is still some debate about the accuracy of the estimate.

How do scientists know the age of trees?

Naturalists use Dendrochronology to determine the age of a tree by counting the rings in a section of its trunk. These sectional rings, also known as growth rings, give accurate information about the environmental conditions surrounding the tree, a practice that has been used About 500 years ago.

One way to determine the age of a tree is to cut it down near the base to count its rings, but scientists use a different method to calculate the age of older trees, because it makes no sense to cut down a tree that is thousands of years old to find out its age.

Scientists have found another way to determine the age of trees without cutting them down is through the use of a borer, a tool that can dig into the center of the tree above about 20% of the center of the trunk, and pull it out after removing a cylinder from the trunk.

A thin cylinder extracted from the tree will show all its rings, which can accurately determine its age.

These growth rings can be counted whether the tree is alive or dead.

Trees are among the oldest living organisms known on Earth (Stock Snap)

The importance of ancient trees to scientists and the environment

USA Today states that among the many environmental benefits trees provide, purifying the air by providing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide is the most valuable benefit to humans.

Trees, especially amid the global effects of climate change, are becoming more and more important to slow down the harmful effects of human activities such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and more.

Trees are among the oldest known organisms on Earth.

Some trees have survived world wars and natural disasters because they have unique survival abilities, including replacing damaged plant parts and releasing defensive compounds to ward off pests and parasites.

As for perennial trees, they are of great importance to scientists, as they are considered a measure of climate change.

By studying tree core samples, scientists can see the impact of environmental changes on trees and their surroundings.

Here, tree rings are studied to determine climate change in previous eras.

And one of these rings indicates the growth of the tree in one year, and scientists can check whether this year was a dry year, where the ring is narrow, or it was a year of excess moisture and rain, where the ring is wide.

According to Science ABC, these differences in temperature and precipitation can help estimate the evolution of climate change, as well as guide any long-term changes in a particular ecosystem, in addition to tracking long-term trends in climate change. Climate change may indicate what the future holds for us.