10 of the oldest and largest trees in the world

• Old Ways

Sep 9, 2016 Paul Pinkerton

Trees have been around for millions of years and are the extremely important to almost all animal life on Earth, as they produce oxygen for us to breathe. Animals also rely on the trees for coverage, homes, and protection from either predators or harsh weather conditions.

Most of the trees you see in your daily life are probably no older than a hundred years, but on this planer there are trees which are thousands of years old, that have witnessed many things throughout the years.

Here are some of the oldest trees that are still standing, thriving in their environments worldwide:

1. Old Tjikko

   

This tree is supposedly the oldest known tree and most likely sprouted during the last Ice Age, putting the tree’s age at around 9,550 years old. The spruce is standing in the Dalarna province of Sweden. Although it is a bit scraggly and doesn’t look like it’s stood there very long, experts will tell you otherwise. The age of this tree lies in the root system. It apparently began when the British Isles were still connected to Europe by an ice bridge.

2. Methuselah

   

This tree is believed to be 4,841 years old. The species is an ancient bristlecone pine and is believed to be the oldest known non-clonal organism on Earth. The tree is located in the White Mountains in California, just inside the Inyo National Forest. Only a few know the exact whereabouts of the beautiful tree due to the fact that its location is protected.

3. Sarv-e Abarqu

   

This tree is known to people as the Zoroastrian Sarv. The species is a cypress tree in the Yazd province in Iran. The tree is believed to be at least 4,000 years old. Many experts believe that the tree is most likely the oldest tree to exist in Asia.

4. Fitzoria

   

Otherwise known as the Fitzroya Cupressoides, it’s described as a type of tall, skinny evergreen that is mostly found in the Andes Mountains. In fact, some of these species are the oldest trees in the world. These trees are more commonly known as the Alerce. Many experts have logged hundreds of these trees which have been standing there for nearly 200 years. However, there is one specific tree that stands among these others, and experts are working as hard as they can to track and protect this tree that is thought to be over 3,600 years old.

5. Llangernyw Yew

   

This yew tree sits in a tiny churchyard of St, Dygain’s Church in Llangernyw just north of Wales. It is believed to be about 4,000 years old. It is also thought to have been planted sometime in the prehistoric Bronze Age and it’s still growing even after all of these years. In 2002 during the golden jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, the tree was actually designated as one of 50 Great British trees by the Tree Council.

6. The President

   

The giant sequoia named the President is the third largest tree in the world, being measured by the volume of the trunk. It is believed to be about 3,200 years old and is located in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park in the United States.

7. The Tree of One Hundred Horses

   

This huge chestnut is near the Mount Etna volcano in Sicily. It is thought to be around 2,000 to 4,000 years old. The tree gets its name from the legend that 100 drenched knights and their wet horses had sought refuge from a large thunderstorm under the tree’s massive, protective branches. While it could be a legend, it holds some truth. The tree’s massive branches could most likely protect people from rain. The tree holds the world record for girth, at about 190 feet in circumference; almost the length of a hockey rink.

8. Patriarca da Floresta

   

This tree, from the species Cariniana Legalis, is believed that it dates to about 3,000 years old. This makes it the oldest non-conifer in Brazil, where the tree is believed to be sacred. However, this particular species is constantly threatened due to the forest clearing in Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela.

9. Olive tree of Vouves

   

This tree is found on the Greek island of Crete. It is believed that it is at least 2,000 to 3,000 years old, although experts cannot tell its exact age. Despite this, it still produces olives, and they are considered highly prized.

10. Jomon Sugi

    

This tree is located in Yakushima, Japan. It is actually the oldest and largest cryptomeria tree on the island. In fact, this tree is one of many reasons why the island had been named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tree is dated back to about 2,000 years old, but some of the experts think it could be much older than that.