How Old Is The Oldest Tree

I’ve always been struck by the beauty of the Bristlecone pine and how dramatically they vary in appearance. From one angle, it appears to be a thriving tree, but while taking a closer look, you’ll see that part of the tree has died. These trees seem to take on a life of their own as they are gnarled and sculpted by the wind. What I find even more interesting is that these trees are thought to be one of the oldest living entities on earth.
Some Bristlecone Pines have been determined to be over 4,000 years old. Archeologists have analyzed the growth rings on both live and dead wood to trace natural occurrences back 9,000 years. Some of the oldest Bristlecone Pines in Colorado can be found on Mount Evans and they are approximately 1,700 years old.
Bristlecone pines have a long growing life because they have the ability to adapt to some of the direst growing conditions on earth. The pines grow at high altitudes, which in itself is a difficult growing environment. In particular, the Bristlecone tends to favor dolomite which is a type of limestone typically found under warm, shallow sea. While driving through the Rocky Mountains, you see a great deal of this dolomite limestone alongside the Bristlecone pines and it’s quite pretty. Dolomite has a high alkaline level in soil chemistry. Bristlecone pines have adapted to the alkalinity, where few other species could survive, the Bristlecone thrive.
These beautiful trees have learned to survive for thousands of years essentially by learning how to die slowly. The tree continues to grow while parts of the bark die back. As part of the bark dies back, a pitch is deposited in the trees' woody parts, preserving the wood and reducing moisture loss. The tree redirects its limited life sustaining nutrients on just a few branches to continue life.
Unfortunately, an exotic fungus is threatening Colorado’s oldest trees. It is the white pine blister rust fungus and it afflicts hundreds of these ancient trees throughout Colorado. Affected trees have been found on national forest land, the Great Sand Dunes and throughout the Rocky Mountain National Parks. Sadly, there is no known cure for the fungus. The U.S. Forest Service and other researchers are trying to find ways to slow its spread. Let’s hope that these ancient trees are able to adapt and conquer this challenge to their existence as well.
The alpine landscape would not be nearly as beautiful without them. You can’t help but be struck by the contrast of the incredible blue skies, the sandy white dolomite and the lush green color of the Bristlecone Pine scattered throughout the mountainside. Not to mention the interesting sculptures these trees provide showing the signs of time and what nature can do…and how it can survive.