How the oldest tree in the world was cut down by mistake?
The Bristlecone Pine (Pinus longaeva) was first identified as a long-lived tree by Dr Edmund Schulman following surveys in California’s White Mountains in 1954. The oldest pines grow at elevations above 3,000 metres in arid, rocky areas of the Great Basin that covers the state of Nevada and parts of Utah and California. (This mountainous area of 500,000 square kilometres has no rivers or creeks f More..lowing out of it.) They exist on the tree line in severe conditions, and often appear to be mostly dead, with only part of the trunk having living bark and leaves. This growth strategy is a response to damage from climate and lightning strikes, and allows the tree to exist on limited resources. The bristlecones of Wheeler Peak in Nevada were believed to be older than those found in California. In 1964 a geology student called Donald R. Currey came to Wheeler Peak to study ice age glaciers, partly by collecting tree ring data. Using coring tools, he identified trees over 4,000 years old.
