Bristlecone pine, White Mountains, California

Bristlecone pine, White Mountains, California

A specimen of this species, located in the White Mountains of California was measured by Tom Harlan, a researcher with the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research , to be 5,067 years old.  The identity of the specimen is being kept secret by Harlan.This is the
oldest known non-clonal tree in the world.

The previously oldest named specimen of this species, "Methuselah ", is also located in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest of the White Mountains . Methuselah is 4,849 years old, as measured by annual ring count on a small core taken with an increment borer . Its exact location is also kept secret. Among the White Mountain specimens, the oldest trees are found on north-facing slopes, with an average of 2,000 years, as compared to the 1,000 year average on the southern slopes.  The climate and the durability of their wood can preserve them long after death, with dead trees as old as 7,000 years persisting next to live ones.