Oldest tree in the world: this tree has been alive for 10,000 years

It is well known that trees can get extremely old because their organism is very different from that of other living things. They spend the time of their lives in one place and can even survive several generations of people. Still, there are some trees on earth that can reach incredible ages. There is even a tree that witnessed how mankind grew grain for the first time.

Oldest tree

An almost 10,000 year old spruce

The oldest tree in the world is an approximately 9,550 year old Picea abies (Norway spruce) from the Swedish province of Dalarna in the heart of the country. It is located in the Fulufjället National Park and looks extremely inconspicuous in terms of its appearance or the trunk. Since spruce trees do not have really wide trunks even when they are old, they look like an old tree that is plagued by the harsh weather conditions in this area. Nevertheless, the specimen was able to prove itself and presents itself in the following growth form.

• Height: 5 m
• forms a new strain about every 600 years
• different root layers were found
• is almost solitary

root

The different root layers indicate different stages of growth that Old Fjikko has gone through. These were found by researchers and allow dating to the possible age of the tree, which gives a good insight into the growth phases of the plant.

The roots found are of different ages:

• 375
• 5.660
• 9.000
• 9.550

The strong root system of the shallow root therefore builds up again and again and ensures the survival of the tree. The current tribe, however, is not the same as it was almost 10,000 years ago, but is reborn over and over again at a rhythm of almost 600 years. This can also be seen in the numerous smaller shoots of the spruce, which act like a bed for the main trunk and at the same time provide support during growth. The numerous new shoots develop trunks that enable the spruce to be the oldest tree in the world.

Note: Old Tjikko was discovered by the physiogeographer Leif Kullman, who cited global warming as the reason for the rapid growth of the spruce. He named the spruce after his deceased dog.

age

Oldest tree on earth - how is that possible?

Such old age is possible purely through this form of reproduction that spruce trees like Old Tjikko use. In order to be the oldest specimen in the world, the spruce clones itself via subsidence or emerging new trunks. This preserves the root network and enables reproduction that cannot be stopped unless the tree is torn out or otherwise irreparably damaged. The tree's growth habit may have developed as follows over the millennia.

• Krummholz formation at the beginning due to the Ice Age
• normal tree shape after warming
• Formation of further tribes
• old tribe dies, young tribe takes up space

growth

Since humans did not intervene in the growth of the tree, Old Tjikko was able to develop further and adapt its location directly to itself. Despite the harsh conditions in this area, the spruce stands firm and has no problem with drought or snow. The snow even helps the young parts of the tree to produce more subsidence. Because of the weight of the snow, branches are pressed down to the ground and thus enable reproduction. If Old Tjikko continues to stand untouched, it can theoretically continue to grow and get older.

Note: Researchers were able to obtain this information through radiocarbon dating, which measures dead organic materials for decayed radioactive carbon. This means that all finds can be dated very precisely up to an age of 60,000 years.

events

What did the Old Tjikko experience?

As an elder, Old Tjikko has witnessed numerous important events not only in human history but also in the history of the earth. The specimen was present when humans first farmed. The first types of grain were rice and millet. The house cat was also domesticated in the early years of the plant. A human find from this time is the man from Koelbjerg, the oldest bog corpse in the world. The following events are also worth mentioning, as Old Tjikko was able to observe the rise of man from the Mesolithic.

• At that time, the Sahara was not just a desert, it was also the habitat of numerous living beings, including humans
• End of the last ice age about 10,000 years ago
• England was connected to Europe by a land bridge, and suddenly an island due to the rise in sea levels after the Ice Age
• first records of trade relations between human peoples in the Middle East over 6,500 years ago
• Construction of the Giza pyramids around 2,500 years ago
• 1184 BC Chr.: fall of Troy
• 776 BC Chr.: first Olympic Games
• 551 BC Chr.: birth of Confucius
• 336 - 323 BC Chr.: Alexander Reich
• 6. v. Chr.: actual birth of Jesus of Nazareth
• 30 AD Chr.: crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth

This is just a small selection of the events that Old Tjikko went through as the oldest tree. Such an age is remarkable for a single plant and shows how persistent plants can be.

Uncloned

Oldest not cloned tree

Compared to Old Tjikko, the oldest tree is a long-lived pine (Pinus longaeva) in the Californian White Mountains, whose age dates back to 3050 BC. Chr. is appreciated. That makes you over 5,000 years old. This specimen is a pine that still consists of the original trunk without being sustained by sinks, rhizomes or other systems. Only additional minor trunks are formed, which is typical for pine trees. This makes it the oldest specimen, the shape of which has existed for several thousand years and which, due to its slow growth, could reach such a lifespan.

Note: In addition to this pine, which is therefore the oldest, non-cloned pine on earth, there is also the specimen Methuselah. This is also located in the White Mountains and is said to have been since the year 2711 BC. Chr. persist, which makes them the second oldest specimen of the long-lived pine.

Germany

Oldest tree in Germany

The oldest specimen from Germany is the thousand-year-old linden tree in Schenklengsfeld, which is located in the municipality of the same name in eastern Hesse. It is a summer linden tree that is estimated to be between 1,250 and 1,300 years old. The likely date of birth of the linden tree is said to be 760, as there is a stone in the middle of the four main trunks of the line that has this inscription on it. Due to the massive trunk circumference of almost 18 meters, the individual parts of the linden tree have been in need since the beginning of the 20th century. Century should be supported by a scaffold in order to be able to support the linden roof with a circumference of 120 meters.

Note: In the Middle Ages and later, the linden tree was used as a place for the penal system and a pillory was even set up there.

exception

One exception: Pando

In terms of age, Pando would be the oldest tree compared to Old Tjikko. However, Pando, an American quaking aspen from Utah, is not directly a single tree, but a colony (genet) that emerged from a single tree. This has been made from one specimen over a fabulous period of an estimated 80,000 years expanded via rhizomes and is therefore the heaviest, largest and oldest organism on the today World. Despite the considerable number of 47,000 tree trunks, Old Tjikko remains the oldest single tree, as spruces do not form genetes.