The oldest trees in the world still alive
Scientists have discovered a grove of spruce trees ( Picea abies ) in the mountains of western Sweden that, at 8,000 years old, are believed to be the oldest living trees in the world .
"This tree, which is 7,890 years old, grows at the foot of a mountain (1,185 m above sea level), at an altitude of 950 m," Lars Hedlund, from the Department of Ecological Control in the northern province of Dalarna, told RIA Novosti, whose experts are carrying out an inventory of the region's forests together with their colleagues from neighbouring Jamtland.
These Norway spruces have remained safe from dangers such as logging, but have been exposed to the harsh weather conditions of the mountain range separating Norway and Sweden.
"These are the first trees that grew after the ice age," explained Lars Hedlund, environmental studies officer in Dalarna County.
The oldest tree in the world: a spruce
What were the oldest trees in the world before that?
For a long time, the scientific community believed that the oldest trees in the world still alive were located in California.
The tree named Methuselah, a bristlecone pine ( Pinus longaeva ) located in the White Mountains of California, is often cited as the oldest living tree in the world. Its age is estimated to be between 4,500 and 5,000 years old.
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How were they dated?
According to Mr Hedlund, samples taken from the roots of this tree and two other firs were sent to a laboratory in Miami, USA. The American researchers, dating the biological remains by measuring their carbon 14C content against stable carbon isotopes, established that the ages of these firs were 5,600 and 8,000 years respectively.
Why do they look so "small"?
Lars Hedlund explained that it was impossible to determine the age of these firs by counting the rings on the trunks.
"Our firs are barely two meters tall, their trunks are 10-20 cm thick, and their growth began only with the warming of the climate, before that they were bushes ," he noted.
Professor Leif Kullman, a leading Swedish forest expert, noted that these firs began growing at the beginning of the 20th century and could be among the oldest trees on Earth.
"They have young shoots that could be 700-800 years old, but overall this is a genetic individual that is a thousand years old," the researcher told RIA Novosti.
He “experienced” the end of the Ice Age (which began in 10,000 BC), the settling down of humans, the birth of agriculture, the invention of the bow, sea fishing (8000 BC), the gathering of grasses (7000 BC), culture, pottery, weaving (6000 BC), the worship of goddesses, copper (5000 BC), the domestication of the donkey and the cat (4000 BC), the Bronze Age in Egypt (3000 BC), the domestication of the horse, the plow, the wheel, iron (2000 BC), Buddha (1000 BC), Jesus Christ, the end of the Roman Empire, Mohammed, Charlemagne, etc.