People have been fascinated by trees for thousands of years. In the case of the Germans, the Celts and many other peoples, particularly impressive specimens were even the focus of their religion. The gnarled oaks of the Celtic druids are just as legendary as Yggdrasil, the mythological world ash tree of the Scandinavian tribes. Even today, trees that are thousands of years old still evoke a great deal of fascination.

This pine tree in the White Mountains of California is over 5000 years old

Table of Contents

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  1. the essentials in brief
  2. Oldest tree in the world
  3. Oldest tree in Germany
  4. reasons for old age
  5. age assessment
  6. life expectancy of trees
  7. frequently asked Questions
  8. What is the oldest tree species in the world?
  9. Can you determine the age of a tree yourself?

    10. the essentials in brief

    • Trees can be divided into clonal (clones growing from common roots) and non-clonal trees (trees with their own root system).
    • the Norway spruce “Old Tjikko” in the Swedish national park (Dalarna region) is said to be 9,500 years old
    • The long-lived pine in the USA is said to be over 5000 years old

    "Every branch of a tree knows a story - an old tree is history." (Klaus Ender, German-Austrian author and artist)

    Which is the oldest tree in the world?

    4000, 9500 or even 80,000 years, how old is the oldest tree in the world? This question cannot be answered so concretely, which is why one finds different information about this very special individual. Answering the question of which tree is the oldest is primarily a matter of definition. Trees grow very differently, either clonally or non-clonally, and therefore reach different ages - and that's why there is basically no such thing as "the" oldest tree. However, numerous trees or groups of trees can be identified that are several thousand years old.

    Clonal Trees

    Parts of this tree in Sweden are over 9000 years old

    Clonal trees are actually clones that sprout either alone or in groups from a common root system. The tree clones reach an age of several thousand to even tens of thousands of years, as shown by the Norway spruce "Old Tjikko" in the Swedish National Park (Dalarna region). This single clone is said to be an incredible 9,500 years old, with the dating only applying to parts of its root system. The above-ground parts of "Old Tjikko", on the other hand, are only a few centuries old.

    So why is Old Tjikko considered one of the oldest trees in the world when the actual tree is actually not that old for a spruce? The reason for this classification is the ability of this conifer species to multiply itself again and again from the root system - practically cloning. If the old trunk of the spruce dies, a new, genetically identical one grows out of the enduring root system. Some tree species have this ability of repetitive vegetative self-reproduction. Another impressive example of such ancient clone trees is Pando, a 14,000-year-old clone colony of American aspens. This is considered to be the oldest and heaviest creature on earth.

    Nonclonal Trees

    This pine does not look very impressive at first glance, but it is 4700 years old

    In contrast to clonal trees, which practically always grow anew from their root system, non-clonal trees are actual individuals whose above-ground parts such as the trunk and crown have defied wind, weather and history for thousands of years. You often don't see the age of these impressive figures at first glance, but people are still amazed when they see them. Some of these trees sprouted at a time when Bronze Age people in Europe were just learning to work with metal. The oldest non-clonal trees include the following individuals in particular:

    • Durable pine: this nameless tree in the USA is said to be over 5000 years old and has officially been considered the oldest tree on earth since 2013
    • Methuselah: a long-lived pine (Pinus longaeva) in Inyo National Forest (Nevada, USA), estimated age over 4,700 years
    • Prometheus: was also a long-lived pine, but felled in 1964 to determine its age. Her age: 4862 years

    The appearance and the exact location of the oldest tree - as well as other impressive tree specimens such as "Hyperion", the tallest tree in the world - are kept secret by the American forest authority in order to prevent a rush of visitors and thus to prevent the trees from being endangered. Nevertheless, it is worth visiting the American national parks, for example the already mentioned Inyo National Forest. There are numerous "Methusalems" that are estimated to be several thousand years old. Who knows, maybe scientists will soon find an even older specimen there?

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    The mightiest trees in the world

    A visit to the Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park in California (USA) is also worthwhile. Here are not only the tallest, but also some of the thousands of years old trees. This also includes the General Sherman Tree, which with an estimated age of 2,500 years and a volume of 1,490 cubic meters is considered the most powerful tree in the world. And the giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) has not yet finished growing. Ranked second among the world's mightiest trees is another giant sequoia, the approximately 1,900-year-old, 1,357-cubic-meter General Grant Tree in Kings Canyon National Park in California.

    Which is the oldest tree in Germany?

    In Germany, around 90 billion trees grow in just 90 different species. In this country, these are not nearly as old as the specimens from Sweden or the USA just presented. However, there are some "thousand-year-old" oaks, lindens and yews here, but they are rarely actually 1000 years old. Rather, these trees are between 500 and 800 years old, and the term 'millennial' refers to a generally high age. Nevertheless, they are very impressive individuals that were famous for their peculiarity centuries ago and are worth seeing:

    Surname genus Approximate age trunk circumference location
    Old Oak Oak 800 to 1100 years 11 meters Dausenau (Rhineland-Palatinate)
    Old yew from Balderschwang yew 800 to 1500 years 8.1 meters Balderschwang (Bavaria)
    Millennial lime tree small-leaved lime 500 to 1200 years 10.5 meters Puch (Bavaria)
    dancing linden tree small-leaved lime 800 to 1000 years 8.3 meters Effeltrich (Bavaria)
    Fat Marie pedunculate oak 800 years 6.65 meters Berlin (oldest tree in Berlin)
    Lime tree in Schenklengsfeld small-leaved lime 1000 years 17.4 meters Schenklengsfeld (Hessen), is considered the oldest tree in Germany
    Millennial Yew yew over 900 years - Kirchwistedt (Lower Saxony)
    Friederike oak pedunculate oak around 1000 years 8.11 meters Hude (Lower Saxony)
    Giant linden tree in Heede small-leaved lime 500 to 1000 years 15.39 meters Heede (Lower Saxony), is considered the largest linden tree in Europe
    Yew on Haus Rath yew more than 800 years 4.5 meters Krefeld-Elfrath (North Rhine-Westphalia)
    far oak pedunculate oak 600 to 850 years 12 meters Raesfeld alder (North Rhine-Westphalia), oldest court tree in Europe

    The following video presents the most impressive old trees in Germany:

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    The Ivenacker oaks in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania

    If you are on holiday in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, you should definitely take a look at the Ivenacker oaks. The impressive group of pedunculate oaks are between 500 and 1000 years old and are therefore among the oldest trees in Europe. They can be admired in the spacious park of Ivenack Castle near Stavenhagen (Mecklenburg Lake District). As a special attraction, there is also a treetop path that can be climbed, which was only built a few years ago and is also accessible for wheelchair users and prams.

    The Ivenacker oaks are worth a visit

    How can trees ever get so old?

    Hardly any other living being can reach such an old age as trees. In the first place, the ability to reach a truly biblical age lies in the modular structure of trees: in contrast to humans and many animals, their vital body elements are present multiple times and are constantly repeated. If a person's heart stops, he dies - in the case of a tree, on the other hand, the middle of the trunk rots away, he can still survive. Trees are able to easily regrow and replace lost parts, such as branches and twigs torn away by a storm.

    Also, many trees - such as the long-lived pine Pinus longaeva - do not have a programmed end to their life cycle like many annual summer flowers. While a dandelion blooms, then puts all its energy into forming seeds and finally dies, trees are true survivors.

    Permanent Renewal

    In short: Their ability to constantly grow and thus to permanent renewal help the trees to reach an old age of several hundred to thousand years. Although individual parts of the plant - because that's what it is - die off again and again, the organism itself continues to grow and replaces the lost organs.

    However, the tree's own growth eventually becomes its undoing, because large trees are more difficult to supply with sufficient water and nutrients than small ones, and the giants are also much more exposed to weather forces such as storms and heavy rain. This is also the reason why many very old trees are not necessarily tall. Exceptions such as the giant sequoias in the USA confirm the rule.

    Cloning as a survival strategy

    Some tree species, which are primarily at home in difficult habitats, pursue a very special survival strategy. Spruces and pines have the ability to regenerate themselves from a common root system - even if the trunk, which is not particularly old, dies on the surface. In this case, a new clone simply grows from the underground roots, which has the same genetic material and is genetically completely identical to its predecessor.

    location and environmental conditions

    The oldest trees often stand alone

    It is striking that the oldest trees in Germany are not in forests - but instead often as single specimens on a village square, in a castle park or in a vicarage garden. Forest trees, on the other hand, rarely or never reach this age - why is that? The reason for this is quite simple: German forests have been intensively managed for centuries, and up to 150 years ago the former primeval forests were almost completely cleared to create fields and settlement areas. Afforestation only happened slowly after that, and forests are still among the areas used for forestry purposes. On average, a forest tree is only a few decades old before it is felled for further economic use.

    Village linden trees and park trees did not share this fate; instead, these trees were tended and cared for. This applies in particular to the village linden trees, which often formed the center of the village and were considered the place of jurisdiction.

    How do you measure the age of a tree?

    The older a tree is, the more difficult it is to determine its age. Many very old specimens no longer have a complete trunk, instead it has been broken into individual trunks and the inner, oldest parts are missing. A simple count of the annual rings or radiocarbon measurement (C14 dating) cannot be done in this case, instead the age is estimated based on various factors. Dendrochronologists, so-called annual ring researchers, are responsible for such estimates. Incidentally, it is not necessary to cut down the entire tree to determine its age: Instead, the researchers carry out core drillings wherever possible, take samples and can thus count the growth rings.

    Historical Documents

    Sometimes historical documents help determine the age of a tree. For example, there are records from the late Middle Ages about the planting of a certain tree at the site in question, or documents or paintings from the last 300 years that show the specimen as a very old tree - in whose hollow interior soldiers were hidden, to the extent of the cavity to clarify.

    Old drawings and paintings help determine the age of trees

    How old can trees generally get?

    Depending on the location, growth conditions and environmental influences, the different tree species reach very different age ranges. Typically, urban trees do not grow nearly as old as their relatives in nature, which has to do with the higher concentration of exhaust gases and particulate matter, the strong compaction and soil closure, but also with the use of road salt in winter. In the following table we have compiled the average life expectancy of common trees in Germany for you:

    tree species Latin designation Average life expectancy
    apple tree Malus domestica around 50 years
    sweetgum liquidambar 100 years
    tree hazel Corylus colurna 80 years
    sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus 400 to 500 years
    wych elm Ulmus glabra 400 to 500 years
    pear tree Pyrus 50 years
    rowan Sorbus aucuparia 80 to 100 years
    ash Fraxinus excelsior 250 to 300 years
    chestnut Castanea sativa 450 to 500 years
    field maple Acer campestre 150 years
    hornbeam Carpinus betulus 150 years
    plane platanus 300 years
    buckeye Aesculus hippocastanum 150 to 200 years
    European beech Fagus sylvatica 200 to 300 years
    silver birch Betula pendula 60 to 80 years

    These tree species become particularly old

    Basically, slow-growing trees reach a much higher age than fast-growing woody plants, which explains the dominance of oaks, yews and lindens among the tree Methuselahs. In the case of yews, there is also their high toxicity, which makes the species almost unassailable for pests and pathogens. In Germany, these tree species in particular reach a very old age:

    kind Latin designation Life expectancy
    European yew Taxus baccata 1000 years
    small-leaved lime Tilia platyphyllos 900 to 1000 years
    pedunculate oak Quercus robur 500 to 1000 years
    sessile oak Quercus petraea 700 years
    silver fir Abies alba 600 years

    frequently asked Questions

    What is the oldest tree species in the world?

    Charles Darwin already described the ginkgo biloba as a "living fossil", after all these trees have been on earth for 70 million years and thus longer than any other tree species. Ginkgo are neither deciduous nor coniferous, but belong to a botanical class all their own.

    Can you determine the age of a tree yourself?

    With the help of a so-called tree table, dendrochronologists also determine the age of many trees. To do this, you need to measure the trunk of the tree at a height of one meter and multiply this measurement (in centimeters!) by a factor that varies depending on the species. This gives you a probable age based on the growth in thickness, which, however, has an inaccuracy of several decades. The following table gives you an overview:

    tree species multiplying factor
    oaks, lindens 0,8
    chestnuts, yews 0,7
    Beech, maple (except field maple) 0,6
    elm, firs 0,6
    Ash, alder, poplar 0,5
    spruces, larches 0,5
    walnut tree 0,5

    tips

    Depending on the type and care, bonsai trees can also become several decades or even centuries old. In Japan, some particularly old specimens are even considered family heirlooms.

Category:

Trees