Is the world’s oldest tree growing in a ravine in Chile?
Conifer is more than 5000 years old, scientist estimates. But some experts are skeptical
20 MAY 2022
ALERCE COSTERO NATIONAL PARK IN CHILE—Some 5400 years ago, about the time humans were inventing writing, an alerce tree (Fitzroya cupressoides) may have started to grow here in the coastal mountains of present-day Chile. Sheltered in a cool, damp ravine, it avoided fires and logging that claimed many others of its kind, and it grew into a grizzled giant more than 4 meters across. Much of the trunk died, part of the crown fell away, and the tree became festooned with mosses, lichens, and even other trees that took root in its crevices.
Now, the tree—known as the Alerce Milenario or Gran Abuelo (great-grandfather) tree—might claim a new and extraordinary title: the oldest living individual on Earth.
https://www.science.org/content/arti...g-ravine-chile
