The oldest living tree on Earth is over 48,000 years old

Living relics are great remnants of the past that continue to live in the present, and provide a special connection to ancient times. These living things, whether they be ancient trees, long-lived animals, or other natural wonders, give information about the history and evolution of our planet that is priceless.
They are living witness to numerous historical events and environmental changes, serving as living records of the natural world. One such living relic is a tree in the US that dates back to Egyptian civilization.
In eastern California, a Great Basin bristlecone pine known as Methuselah has long been considered Earth’s oldest living thing. According to tree-ring data, Methuselah is 4,855 years old, which means that it was well established by the time ancient Egyptians built the pyramids at Giza. It is essential to know that the exact location of this oldest living relic in the form of a tree is kept hidden to protect it and keep it safe.
This bristlecone pine grows at the highest points of the timberline, between the windswept summits of California, Nevada, and Utah. The fact that the trees can survive in this harsh environment of freezing temperatures, dry soils, and unceasing winds is the secret to their exceptional longevity. This tree finds nourishment in the driest, most brittle layers of limestone and carbonate rock that form a part of the fertile soil at high altitudes.

Their twisted, gnarled branches, formed by the strong currents of mountain winds, give them stability and lessen their breakage during storms. The trees' roots nourish only the particular section of branches directly above it. This means that if a root dies off from exposure, only the related portion of the tree is harmed, leaving the rest to grow on.
Recently, another tree has also come under limelight that challenges Methuselah’s longevity record, as reported by the National Geographic. In Chile, a Patagonian cypress ( known as the Alerce Milenario or Gran Abuelo (great grandfather in Spanish) could be over 500 years older than reigning champion Methuselah.
Dating of the Alerce Milenario was done not via the traditional method of “coring” the tree, which means driving a thin, hollow screw through the middle of the tree to extract a core where each ring can be tallied, but using a partial ring count along with statistical computer modeling to make up the difference. While this approach is less risky for the tree, it has left some experts unconvinced.
But regardless of their exact ages, these ancient trees can tell us a lot about our ever-changing climate. Each ring of the tree contains climate information from the year it formed, helping scientists build accurate climate models that stretch back thousands of years, including records of temperature changes, variations in precipitation, and even massive volcanic eruptions. The high-elevation trees of the Methuselah age are also open to small variations in temperature and are true record-keepers of the earth's climatic patterns.

These trees not only provide clues about past climate, but they also play an important role in combating climate change today. Forests help stabilize global temperatures by trapping planet-warming carbon in their roots and soil. A recent Conservation International study revealed that the Amazon rainforest stores more irrecoverable carbon, that could not be restored within our lifetimes if emitted, than any other region on Earth.
Whichever tree, whether Methuselah or Alerce Milenario, takes the title, one thing is clear, Nature is resilient and adaptable when properly kept. We should keep all trees healthy and protected, it be ancient or nascent.
Photo Credits: tomorrow.bio