Is there any tree in the world that lives over 5,000 years?

This ancient cypress tree is named Alerce Milenario or Gran Abuelo, which means "great-grandfather". Recently, the research team of environmental scientist Jonathan Barichivich - now working at the Laboratory of Environmental and Climate Sciences in Paris (France) - has investigated the longevity of trees.

The width of Alerce Milenario is estimated to be more than 4m

According to the journal Science, after using computer simulations that incorporate traditional tree ring counting, Barichivich's team estimates that Alerce Milenario may have lived for more than 5,000 years.

Accordingly, Barichivich used a hole puncher that did not affect the growth of the tree to calculate the number of stems. The team's goal was to manually count the number of rounds, thereby deducing the age of the "great-grandfather".

However, the team was only able to carve out 2,400 tree rings, then had to use another method to estimate the rest of the tree's age. The team researched the complete core from Alerce Milenario's "brother" trees, and also calculated environmental factors, random variations affecting the growth of the tree.

Finally, the team calibrated the model to simulate the possible ages of the tree, the probability for each age corresponding to the most likely trunk circumference trait. In the end, the team found that the probability that Alerce Milenario lived to be more than 5,000 years old was up to 80%. Specifically, the age of the tree can be about 5,484 years old.

Chilean "great-grandfather" Alerce Milenario

If approved, Alerce Milenario could break the current record for the longest living tree, Methuselah, a hardy pine in eastern California that is now about 4,853 years old. "We were quite surprised with the results, I thought the 'great-grandfather' was only about 4,000 years old," Barichivich said.

Mr. Nathan Stephenson - emeritus scientist at the US Geological Survey - said that Barichivich's research is very interesting, but it will need a few more methods of cross-checking before scientists officially recognize the record. record for Alerce Milenario.

Some other biologists are more demanding. According to them, the number of trunk rings is the "golden" standard for determining the age of a tree. "We usually require every round to be counted in full," said Dr. Ed Cook from Columbia University (USA).

Visitors to Alerce Milenario

According to Barichivich, Alerce Milenario's age certainly above 4,000 indicates it is a valuable Chilean asset and needs better protection. He said that building some structures for visitors to see "great-grandfather" could cause damage to the tree's roots. Not to mention the climate is also becoming drier, making it harder for plant roots to get water.

Pablo Cunazza Mardones, an official with the Chilean forest protection unit, said budget constraints were also hindering efforts to protect trees.