Methuselah (oldest tree)
므두셀라 (세계에서 가장 오래된 나무)
Methuselah, a Great Basin bristlecone pine in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest of California's White Mountains, is the oldest tree whose age has been confirmed: about 4,850 years. In 1957 scientists drew a pencil-thin core from its trunk and counted the rings, and found it sprouted around 2833 BC, before the Egyptian pyramids were built. Growing very slowly in the cold, dry, windy mountains helped it live so long, and which tree it is stays a secret to protect it.
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Quick answers
Where is Methuselah (oldest tree)?
Methuselah (oldest tree) is in United States.
Methuselah is a Great Basin bristlecone pine growing high in the White Mountains of Inyo County, eastern California. It is about 4,858 years old and is recognised as the oldest non-clonal tree with a confirmed age, which means it is a single tree, not a colony that keeps sprouting new stems. It grows about 2,900 to 3,000 m above sea level in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, part of Inyo National Forest.
Its great age comes from harsh weather and poor soil, which slow down decay. The tree is named after Methuselah, a figure in the Bible said to have lived 969 years. The Forest Service keeps its exact spot secret to protect it, although the location has become widely known online since a leak in 2021.
How old is it, really?
In 1957 scientists Edmund Schulman and Tom Harlan counted the rings and estimated that the tree sprouted around 2833 BC. Later, researcher Matthew Salzer could not repeat that age because a core sample was missing, and he estimated about 4,669 years. Experts still call Methuselah the oldest confirmed non-clonal tree, but the claim is debated. Another bristlecone, nicknamed Prometheus, was cut down in 1964 and was more than 4,862 years old.
Living on a thin strip
A bristlecone pine can stay alive even when most of its trunk is dead, sun-bleached wood, relying on a thin strip of living bark. Growing slowly in high, dry, rocky ground, the wood becomes dense and resists rot. Tree rings from bristlecones also help scientists build a calendar of past years, reaching back to about 9000 BC with one gap of roughly 500 years.
Fun facts
- A bristlecone pine can stay alive on a single thin strip of living bark, even when most of its trunk is dead, sun-bleached wood.
- Some clonal colonies, such as the aspen grove named Pando, may be far older than Methuselah, but they are many stems from one root system.
- The tree's name refers to a Bible figure said to have lived 969 years.
- Its exact location is officially kept secret to protect it.
On the globe
Look for the White Mountains in eastern California, near the Nevada border.
Nearby on the globe
Sources
Updated: 2026-10-14