“Discover the Ancient Guardians: Unveiling the Secrets of the 8 Oldest Trees on Earth!”
6. BLK Bald Cypress (2,624 Years)
The oldest known Bald Cypress tree is located in the eastern part of North America alongside North Carolina’s Black River. It was discovered in 2019, and the researchers estimated its age to be 2,624 years. They also found other trees near the BLK Bald Cypress that are older than 2,000 years. Some scientists believe that there may be trees much older than the BLK Bald Cypress along this river. It’s just that not enough research has been done in this area.
7. Qilian Juniper (2,245 Years)
In 2009, a group of researchers discovered the oldest tree in China, which was 2,230 years old. That makes it 2,245 years as of 2024. Qilian Juniper was found in the remote mountain regions of Delingha in Qinghai Province. This was part of a dendrochronological dataset that was done on 98 ancient trees in China that were older than 1,000 years.
8. Pando (80,000 Years)
The reason we listed Pando last is because it’s the oldest clonal colony of Aspen trees on Earth. This is quite different from the above picks, which are individual trees. Spread on a 106-acre piece of land in Utah, this Aspen tree forest comprises a single genetic cell. That is, every trunk is an exact clone of each other.
The Pando has more than 47,000 genetically identical trees, and the colony has existed for over 80,000 years. However, the average lifespan of the individual trees in the Pando is 80 to 130 years old. These trees have been able to survive for so long because of their ability to replace trees when they die. Despite being such a historic gem, the Pando started shrinking in the 1960s due to increased human activity in Utah.
