Roadtrip to Meet the Longest Living Trees

Roadtrip to Meet the Longest Living Trees

We’re moving towards the peak of summer here in the United States, and what better way to celebrate the trees that provide us with so much than to take some time to see the oldest ones in the country? Although there are a couple of East Coast outliers rounding out the top ten, many of these ancient giants are out west, making for the perfect road trip.  If a road trip this year is not possible, these beauties are worth exploring in photos and planning the trip for next year. 

 

Start your journey in the Fishlake National Forest in Utah with a trip to see Pando, (Latin for “I spread out”) a clonal colony of quaking aspen. It is not only the oldest tree in the United States at 80,000 years old, but it is also one of the oldest and heaviest living organisms on earth! A clonal colony is a single root system that has multiple stems, so although the “trembling giant” appears like a forest of 40,000 + trees, it is a single organism.

Fishlake National Forest
Prometheous Stump Image

Next, head west to Nevada to see Prometheus. Formerly the oldest non-clonal organism at 4,862 years old, the Great Basin bristlecone pine was controversially cut down in 1964 by researchers who didn’t know of its world-record status, but visitors can still see Prometheus’ Stump in Wheeler Park.

Now, let’s head to California to see six more trees. First, stop in the Stanislaus National Forest in Tuolumne County. There, you will find the Bennett Juniper, the largest known juniper tree in the United States. Although several attempts to determine its age have been inconclusive, the Bennett Juniper is estimated to be 3-6,000 years old.

Bennett Juniper Tree Image
Methuselah Image

Our next stop is Methuselah. Like Prometheus, Methuselah is a Great Basin bristlecone pine and has taken its place as the oldest non-clonal organism in the world at more than 4,800 years old. Its exact location is a secret, but the Methuselah Trail in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is open to visitors.

Next up is a tree in the Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park, which is the largest grove of giant sequoia trees in the world. Although the Grizzly Giant is more than 3,000 years old and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the grove, it has a volume of 34,010 cubic feet, which makes it only the 26th largest living giant sequoia.

Grizzly Giant Tree Image
Muir Snag Image

Continue on to the Converse Basin Grove, near King’s Canyon National Park to see Muir Snag. Although many of the giant sequoias in the grove have been lost to logging, the Muir Snag has remained. Though not living any longer, Muir Snag is thought to be the oldest sequoia tree in the world, at more than 3,500 years old when it died.

Next, travel to the Giant Forest Grove to see the remains of the Washington Tree. Damaged by a lightning strike which eventually led to its collapse in 2005, Washington was once the second-largest sequoia tree in the world, and is 2,850 years old. Despite the damage, scientists think the tree might still be alive, as it still has several significant branches.

Washington Tree Image
President Tree Image

Our next stop, also in the Giant Forest Grove is the President, named after President Warren G. Harding in 1923. It is currently the oldest known living giant sequoia tree, at around 3,200 years old. With a trunk volume of 45,000 cubic feet, it is the second-largest tree in the world, although it is not the tallest nor the widest.

Finally, head south to the Jurupa Mountains near Riverside, California. Like Pando, the Jurupa oak is a clonal colony that is estimated to be more than 13,000 years old. One of the only species in the surrounding area, the Jurupa Oak only grows after wildfires, when burned branches sprout new shoots.

Jurupa Mountains Image
That brings our road trip to a close. We are amazed at how trees can live long lives.  They connect us to the past and the future.  We hope we inspired you to visit these old beauties and to seek out the oldest trees in your area.  What is the oldest tree in your area, and have you been to see it?

Please share your pictures and thoughts! #welovetrees

Planting Trees to Mitigate Climate Change

Planting Trees to Mitigate Climate Change

I was surprised to learn that planting trees is among the most effective strategies for climate change mitigation. We know that trees renew our air by absorbing carbide dioxide and producing oxygen. The amount of oxygen produced by an acre of trees per year equals the amount consumed by 18 people annually. But how many trees do we have on the planet and how many do we need?

Thomas Crowther and his team (crowtherlab.com) started asking these questions and used big data and machine learning to understand the world better and explore ways to restore the planet. 

Thomas and his team used a unique approach to determine how many trees are on the planet. Instead of relying solely on satellite pictures, which do not tell you what is going on the ground, they leveraged tree counts by thousands of people that had been done on the ground for other projects. By leveraging big data computing they were able to combine the counts and satellite data to find repeatable correlations. This led them to creating a global model and the “Tree Density of Three Trillion Trees” which was published in 2015. This was astounding as from just satellite pictures the number of trees was thought to be 8 times less!

This video by nature.org is a stunning visualization of our tree coverage. 

Armed with this information the United Nations realized that they had not sized their tree campaign properly. So they changed their Billion Tree Campaign to the Trillion Tree Campaign (trilliontreecampaign.org). So far, 13.6 billion trees have been planted and more are planned. I invite you to go to their site and you can explore around the world the number of trees planted, current forests, and restoration opportunities.  

While trees are effective at absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen, is there sufficient, suitable land to plant enough trees to make a significant difference?

According to the data analytics results from Thomas Crowther and team, “Excluding existing trees and agriculture and urban areas, we found that there is room for an extra 0.9 billion hectors of canopy cover, which would store 205 gigatonnes of carbon in an area that would naturally support woodlands and forests.”

Translation: It makes a huge difference and we should all conserve forests, plant trees, and support others who are planting trees. With the continued urbanization of the world, we have the opportunity to increase our forests in rural areas as the population reduces and to increase the greening of our cities around the world.  

Armed with a better understanding of our world, what actions can you take?

Join up with people who are working to protect existing forests around the world, find out about tree planting in your community, and support organizations that plant trees. To get started, look for a local organization such as treesatlanta.org and also global organizations such as 8billiontrees.com which are both doing great work.  

 Let us know about your tree efforts; no progress is too small. We would love to hear from you! 

 
Time to Give Trees the Love They Deserve

Time to Give Trees the Love They Deserve

In the book, The Secret Network of Nature, Peter Wahlleben brings knowledge and experience to deepen our understanding of how plants, animals, rivers, rocks, and weather systems cooperate in a balance that is essential to life.

From the fight for every ray of sunlight, through photosynthesis and through cooperation within the ecosystem, he brings us into the world he knows. He invites us to take time to really understand the energy and time it takes to become a mighty tree. Once you do, you will not be able to pass a tree without being amazed.

“A mature beech, for example, contains up to 13 tonnes of wood, which if burned, would release about 42 million kilo calories of energy.”2  For comparison, a person burns about 2,000 kilo calories a day. “This means that a mature beech stores enough solar energy to feed a person for forty years – if the human gut were able to digest wood.”3  “A forest ecosystem, then, is basically an enormous storehouse of energy.”4

Trees are the biggest plants on earth and are essential for life. Trees are a rich resource that give us oxygen, store carbon, provide shade, stabilize soil, support animal life, provide building materials, and some have medicinal properties.

Person Thanking Tree

Research shows that being around trees and green space lowers your blood pressure, slows your heart rate, and reduces stress.

It is time to love the trees and find ways to protect them and create new space for them. Individual efforts count; every person can make a difference.

Thankfully in Atlanta, we have additional ways to support our trees. Tree Atlanta (treeatalanta.org) is dedicated to protecting Atlanta’s urban forest through planting, conservation, and education. This gives people an additional way to support our trees. Founded in 1985, Trees Atlanta works tirelessly to address Atlanta’s tree loss, protect its forests, and create new green space. Empowered by volunteers, Trees Atlanta serves the metro Atlanta area, and has grown to become one of Atlanta’s most widely known and supported non-profit organizations.

The Secret Network of Nature

Recommended Reading:

The Secret Network of Nature

The Delicate Balance of All Living Things

By Peter Wohlleben

Copyright 2017