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While trees that are real tall are pretty cool, I also like the ones that are rather large in diameter. I mean, just look at this thing. The Arbol del Tule is generally considered the stoutest tree recorded. It's estimated to be ~1400 years old, so while it isn't the oldest tree by FAR, I guess it's been there for a hot minute.
An aerial shot of the tree.
Another contender is the Guacari, in San Marcos. While not breaking any records, I just think it's cool. Interestingly, it's not one tree, but multiple that have grown together. It's low enough to the ground that from a distance, it just looks like a big 'ole hill. It is 137 feet in diameter and approximately 58 or so years old.
The tree has aerial branches underneath more protruding to support it. Some people in Latin America call it 'the tree that walks' because it looks like it got hella legs. It is a fig tree, or really, several that have kinda merged together.
And you can't talk about wide trees without mentioning the General Sherman. This Giant Sequoia is not the tallest, or the widest, but IS the largest by volume. It is 275 feet tall and about ~36 feet in diameter, and it's like 2,500 years old. Sequoias are known for generally being record breaking trees, in terms of size, so it isn't a huge shocker.
The award for 'tallest tree' actually goes to Hyperion, a Coastal Redwood Sequoia. (So while slightly differing species, they share the same genus.) Hyperion is 379 feet tall, and the location of the tree is hidden so vandals cannot get to it. I love that aspect of forestry, all those trees in non disclosed locations. I guess if you're a real dedicated hiker, maybe you'll get lucky. Hyperion is estimated to be ~700 years old.
The oldest tree, NOT counting clonal trees, is a Great Basin Bristlecone Pine named Methuselah. It is approximately 4,857 years old. Its old age is probably a result of harsh weather, and a lack of nutrients, which slow down the decaying process a whole lot. There was actually an older tree, dubbed Prometheus, at ~5,000 years old; but it was cut down in the 60's by some guy who didn't know how old it was. Methuselah is only about 16 feet tall, despite it's age, but this makes sense 'cause it's in a windy and harsh environment. Like Hyperion, Methuselah's location is private.
Honestly, these aren't rather interesting looking trees, but they are interesting from a scientific perspective, I think. I like looking at trees in general. They're the largest and oldest living organisms on Earth, how is that not dope as shit?
I like that trees have a real great ability to adapt and often end up 'eating' foreign objects around them over time (decades).
crunch.
Do you guys fw any of these or nah
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4L3xP
I wonder what It'd be like to read underneath the Arbol de Tule. Fw this blog heavy
thanks!
by AFarewell2Kings; ; Report
SmogHotdog
damn these r pretty neat. do u have a favorite ??
That's like asking a parent to pick a favorite child, but I guess if I had to choose, I really like larger oak/pine trees. They're pretty frequent where I live and always gorgeous.
If you're asking for one individual tree, I'd say that tree that owns itself. Like legit some guy liked it so much, he relinquished ownership of the tree to itself, so nobody could cut it down. The tree standing currently should actually probably be called the 'son' of the tree that owns itself, because the previous tree had died, and this one grew in it's place. Pretty dope I think
by AFarewell2Kings; ; Report
Woah...Didn't know that tree-owning-itself thing was even possible...Cool stuff really.
do u have the name of it, or a place I can look in2 it?
If not (this might be a weird request) could u maybe write a short blog on it or something? I could sub 2 ur blogs and check it out whenever u write it =3
sorry if that's weird I just like reading abt this sorta shtuff lmao
by SmogHotdog; ; Report
'The tree that owns itself' is actually the nickname for the tree! Just searching that should bring up tons of articles. It is located in Athens, Georgia, and is about 70 feet tall. The original was a little over 100 feet tall. Theres no recorded diameter, but it owns the land within 16 feet of itself, so it's less than that.
by AFarewell2Kings; ; Report
sweet, thanks!
by SmogHotdog; ; Report