“Discover the Ancient Guardians: Unveiling the Secrets of the 8 Oldest Trees on Earth!”
1. Prometheus (4,900 Years)
Prometheus tree stump
Before it was cut down in 1964, Prometheus held the record for the oldest living tree in the world. It was located at Wheeler Peak in Nevada and was a Great Basin bristlecone. Donald Currey cut down Prometheus with the intention of collecting samples from the ice age.
Although he had permission to cut it, cutting the tree down has haunted Donald Currey for the longest. After cutting down Prometheus, he counted 4,862 rings, which meant the tree dated back to more than 4,900 years old. Even though Prometheus is no longer alive, a piece of it is kept at the Great Basin Visitor Center in Nevada.
2. Methuselah (4,600 Years)
After Donald Currey cut down Prometheus, Methuselah became the world’s oldest tree, which was aged 4,600. It’s also bristlecone pine. Methuselah was discovered by Edmund Schulman, a renowned tree research scientist who also counted its age by sampling the cores of nearby bristlecones.
It’s located in the Inyo National Forest and sits in a remote location between the Nevada border and California’s Sierra Nevada range. The US Forest Service has kept its exact location a mystery to protect it from tourists who might walk over its roots or touch it. However, if you hike across this trail, you should be able to spot the Methuselah.
3. Alerce Milenario (5,484 Years)
Nicknamed the Great Grandfather or Gran Abuelo in Spanish, the Alerce Milenario is a gigantic tree in the Alerce Costero National Park in Chile. This tree, which is of the Patagonian Cypress species, has a trunk that’s 4.3 meters (14 feet) big and is believed to be more than 5,484 years old.
