World's Oldest Tree

What was once regarded as a newbie is now hailed as the world’s oldest recorded tree: An ancient spruce in the mountains of Sweden dates back 9,550 years. Previously, pine trees in North America had been cited as the oldest trees at 4,000 to 5,000 years old.

A tenacious survivor, the spruce has endured by growing between other trees and smaller bushes. Underneath, scientists found four “generations” of cones and wood. Some of these pieces are the same age and have the same genetic blueprint as the ancient tree because spruce trees can produce exact copies, or clones, of themselves.

The finding may give insight into where Swedish spruce trees originated. “My research indicates that spruces have spent winters in places west or southwest of Norway where the climate was not as harsh,” said Leif Kullman, a professor of physical geography at Umeå University in Sweden.

“In some way they have also successfully found their way to the Swedish mountains,” he said.

-- LiveScience Staff 

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Image Credit: Leif Kullman, Umeå University