Methuselah (pine tree) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Methuselah |
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The Methuselah Grove
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| Species | Great Basin bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva) |
| Location | Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, in the White Mountains, Inyo County, California |
| Coordinates | 37°22′46″N 118°09′42″W / 37.3794°N 118.1618°W |
| Date seeded | c. 2833 BC (age 4857) |
| Custodian | United States Forest Service |
Methuselah is an incredibly old Great Basin bristlecone pine tree. It grows high up in the White Mountains of Inyo County, in eastern California. This amazing tree is about 4,857 years old as of 2025. It is known as the oldest non-clonal tree in the world.
What makes Methuselah live so long? It's partly because of the tough weather and lack of nutrients where it grows. These conditions actually slow down how quickly the tree decays. The tree's name comes from a very old person in the Bible, Methuselah, who was said to live for 969 years. So, the name Methuselah now means something that is very, very old!
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Where Methuselah Lives
Methuselah lives in a special area called the "Methuselah Grove." This grove is part of the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. It is located in the Inyo National Forest. The tree grows at a high elevation, between 2,900 and 3,000 meters (about 9,500 to 9,800 feet) above sea level.
The United States Forest Service keeps Methuselah's exact spot a secret. They do this to protect the tree from harm. Even though its location was once leaked online, they still try to keep it safe.
Is Methuselah the Oldest Tree?
Many people believe Methuselah is the oldest tree. However, this idea has been discussed a lot by scientists.
How Scientists Date Trees
Scientists use a method called dendrochronology to find a tree's age. They take a small core sample from the tree. This sample shows the tree's growth rings. Each ring represents one year of growth. By counting the rings, they can tell how old the tree is.
In 1957, scientists Edmund Schulman and Tom Harlan studied Methuselah. They found it was 4,789 years old at that time. This means it started growing around 2833 BC. However, another scientist, Matthew Salzer, couldn't get the same age. This was because the original core sample was missing. Salzer's own estimate suggests the tree is about 4,668 years old.
Other Ancient Bristlecone Pines
There was another very old bristlecone pine tree. It was nicknamed "Prometheus." This tree was over 4,862 years old when it was cut down in 1964. It started growing around 2880 BC.
In 2009, scientist Tom Harlan said he found an even older bristlecone pine. He said it was 5,062 years old in 2010. But after Harlan passed away in 2013, no one could find this tree or its sample.
Other Very Old Trees
Methuselah is not the only tree that has lived for thousands of years.
- The Alerce Milenario in Chile might be over 5,000 years old. But scientists are still working to confirm its exact age.
- The Llangernyw Yew in Wales and the Fortingall Yew in Scotland are also very old. Some estimates say they are between 2,000 and 9,000 years old. However, yew trees are hard to date. Newer studies suggest they are likely between 2,000 and 3,000 years old.
Trees That Grow Together
Some living things are called "clonal colonies." These are groups of plants that are genetically identical. They grow from one original plant. They are not single trees like Methuselah.
- "Pando" is a huge colony of quaking aspen trees in Utah. It might be 80,000 years old! But it's very hard to get an exact age for these types of colonies.
- "King Clone" is a creosote bush colony in California. It is about 11,700 years old.
- "Old Tjikko" is a Norway spruce colony in Sweden. It is about 9,500 years old.
See also
In Spanish: Matusalén (árbol) para niños
- List of individual trees
- List of oldest trees
