Latest news with #InyoNationalForest
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
This California forest has a tree that's nearly 5,000 years old. But its location is a closely guarded secret
High in the arid mountain forests of eastern California there is a living tree that's older than the pyramids of Giza and the ancient city-state of Babylon — but its location is a secret. The Methuselah tree, named after an especially long-living character in the Book of Genesis, is estimated to have started growing roughly 4,857 years ago in the White Mountains just north of Death Valley. That would put its germination date around 2,833 B.C., nearly 3,000 years before the foundation of the Roman Empire and older than all Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Scientists believe it is either the oldest or second-oldest living tree known to humanity — excepting clonal colonies, in which individual trees live and die as part of the same ancient collective organism. Even so, the Forest Service does not disclose the exact location of the Methuselah tree and has not marked it in any way, in order to protect it from vandalism. Methuselah is the oldest known tree in the Methuselah Grove, which stands at nearly 10,000 ft above sea level in what is now Inyo National Forest. It's a standout example of the Great Basin bristlecone pine, formally known as pinus longaeva. Because they are adapted to live in such harsh environments the trees are extraordinary resilient and resistant to infection. Through a process called 'strip barking', even a tiny sliver of the tree can remain alive after the rest expires, with thin strands of living matter twisting up through a dense shell of dead wood. But bristlecone pines aren't the only arboreal survivors on Earth. Some scientists believe there is a Patagonian cypress tree in the rainy mountains of Chile that is around 5,400 years old. Known as the Millennial Alerce, or sometimes Gran Abuelo (Spanish for 'grandfather'), the tree's age was estimated using a new statistical method that is not yet broadly accepted among researchers, rather than by the traditional way of counting rings of wood within the trunk. Clonal colonies — that is, groups of trees that have all sprouted off from the same ancient ancestor — can persist for many millennia, even as the individual trees live and die. One colony of quaking aspen in Utah, known as Pando, is thought to be between 9,000 and 16,000 years old, but is taking a beating from climate change. There is also one bristlecone in California's White Mountains that may be even older than Methuselah and more secret. Back in 2009, according to the tree age researcher Peter M. Brown, another researcher named Tom Harlan began studying old tree samples left to him by his predecessor. Harlan apparently found one sample he estimated to be 5,062 years old and told Brown the tree it came from was still alive. But the actual sample seems to be missing and if Harlan knew the tree's location he took it to his grave.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
This California forest has a tree that's nearly 5,000 years old. But its location is a closely guarded secret
High in the arid mountain forests of eastern California there is a living tree that's older than the pyramids of Giza and the ancient city-state of Babylon — but its location is a secret. The Methuselah tree, named after an especially long-living character in the Book of Genesis, is estimated to have started growing roughly 4,857 years ago in the White Mountains just north of Death Valley. That would put its germination date around 2,833 B.C., nearly 3,000 years before the foundation of the Roman Empire and older than all Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Scientists believe it is either the oldest or second-oldest living tree known to humanity — excepting clonal colonies, in which individual trees live and die as part of the same ancient collective organism. Even so, the Forest Service does not disclose the exact location of the Methuselah tree and has not marked it in any way, in order to protect it from vandalism. Methuselah is the oldest known tree in the Methuselah Grove, which stands at nearly 10,000 ft above sea level in what is now Inyo National Forest. It's a standout example of the Great Basin bristlecone pine, formally known as pinus longaeva. Because they are adapted to live in such harsh environments the trees are extraordinary resilient and resistant to infection. Through a process called 'strip barking', even a tiny sliver of the tree can remain alive after the rest expires, with thin strands of living matter twisting up through a dense shell of dead wood. But bristlecone pines aren't the only arboreal survivors on Earth. Some scientists believe there is a Patagonian cypress tree in the rainy mountains of Chile that is around 5,400 years old. Known as the Millennial Alerce, or sometimes Gran Abuelo (Spanish for 'grandfather'), the tree's age was estimated using a new statistical method that is not yet broadly accepted among researchers, rather than by the traditional way of counting rings of wood within the trunk. Clonal colonies — that is, groups of trees that have all sprouted off from the same ancient ancestor — can persist for many millennia, even as the individual trees live and die. One colony of quaking aspen in Utah, known as Pando, is thought to be between 9,000 and 16,000 years old, but is taking a beating from climate change. There is also one bristlecone in California's White Mountains that may be even older than Methuselah and more secret. Back in 2009, according to the tree age researcher Peter M. Brown, another researcher named Tom Harlan began studying old tree samples left to him by his predecessor. Harlan apparently found one sample he estimated to be 5,062 years old and told Brown the tree it came from was still alive. But the actual sample seems to be missing and if Harlan knew the tree's location he took it to his grave. Solve the daily Crossword
The Independent
4 days ago
- Science
- The Independent
This California forest has a tree that's nearly 5,000 years old. But its location is a closely guarded secret
High in the arid mountain forests of eastern California there is a living tree that's older than the pyramids of Giza and the ancient city-state of Babylon — but its location is a secret. The Methuselah tree, named after an especially long-living character in the Book of Genesis, is estimated to have started growing roughly 4,857 years ago in the White Mountains just north of Death Valley. That would put its germination date around 2,833 B.C., nearly 3,000 years before the foundation of the Roman Empire and older than all Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Scientists believe it is either the oldest or second-oldest living tree known to humanity — excepting clonal colonies, in which individual trees live and die as part of the same ancient collective organism. Even so, the Forest Service does not disclose the exact location of the Methuselah tree and has not marked it in any way, in order to protect it from vandalism. Methuselah is the oldest known tree in the Methuselah Grove, which stands at nearly 10,000 ft above sea level in what is now Inyo National Forest. It's a standout example of the Great Basin bristlecone pine, formally known as pinus longaeva. Because they are adapted to live in such harsh environments the trees are extraordinary resilient and resistant to infection. Through a process called 'strip barking', even a tiny sliver of the tree can remain alive after the rest expires, with thin strands of living matter twisting up through a dense shell of dead wood. But bristlecone pines aren't the only arboreal survivors on Earth. Some scientists believe there is a Patagonian cypress tree in the rainy mountains of Chile that is around 5,400 years old. Known as the Millennial Alerce, or sometimes Gran Abuelo (Spanish for 'grandfather'), the tree's age was estimated using a new statistical method that is not yet broadly accepted among researchers, rather than by the traditional way of counting rings of wood within the trunk. Clonal colonies — that is, groups of trees that have all sprouted off from the same ancient ancestor — can persist for many millennia, even as the individual trees live and die. One colony of quaking aspen in Utah, known as Pando, is thought to be between 9,000 and 16,000 years old, but is taking a beating from climate change. There is also one bristlecone in California's White Mountains that may be even older than Methuselah and more secret. Back in 2009, according to the tree age researcher Peter M. Brown, another researcher named Tom Harlan began studying old tree samples left to him by his predecessor. Harlan apparently found one sample he estimated to be 5,062 years old and told Brown the tree it came from was still alive. But the actual sample seems to be missing and if Harlan knew the tree's location he took it to his grave.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Daily Mail
Incredible secret of gnarled 'Methuselah Tree' that sits deep in California desert
The 'Methuselah Tree' is discretely nestled in an eastern California mountain range, blending in among the other plants as the national forest's best kept secret. The Inyo National Forest - a stunning mix of landscapes spanning nearly 2 million acres between Los Angeles and Reno, Nevada - is home to one of the oldest trees in the world. A Great Basin Bristlecone Pine dubbed the Methuselah Tree has been around since centuries before the Pyramids of Giza were built. The twisted-trunked and weathered tree sprouted circa 2830 BCE and has since become a nearly 5,000-year-old symbol of the planet's history. But among the forest's other Great Basin Bristlecone Pines, visitors are unable to tell which is the famed Methuselah Tree. This is an intentional move by the US Forest Service to protect the tree from being vandalized or harmed, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Tourists can trek through the White Mountains, located in the Great Basin Desert, and explore the trails of the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest to witness the dense-wooded trees that are thousands of years old. While Forest Service officials have confirmed the Methuselah Tree is visible along the 4.5-mile loop, there is no sign or indicator marking its presence. The hike has been ranked moderate by the hiking app AllTrails, but is recommended visitors come prepared with water and sunblock. This trail also sits 9,000 feet above sea level, so those brave enough to take on the trail should consider the effects of the altitude, WHNT reported. The Methuselah Trail, like the others at the national forest, is open seasonally. Depending on weather conditions, this season typically runs from late spring through the fall. Great Basin Bristlecone Pines are considered the oldest non-clonal organisms in the world. The term non-clonal means the pines grew from a single seed and 'do not reproduce through cloning,' according to the National Forest Foundation. 'Bristlecone pines are a small group of trees that reach an age believed by many scientists to be far greater than that of any other living organism known to man,' USDA wrote. Scientists determine their ages by taking a sliver from their trunks to see how many rings there are. Trees' ages are determined by this number of rings, as each year they grow, another is added. The Methuselah Tree was once believed to be the longest-living tree in the world, but experts have since traced back some other Bristlecone Pines and determined them to be slightly older. Regardless, the Methuselah Tree remains the most notable natural treasure of them all among researchers and outdoors lovers. This species of trees is has been able to withstand thousands of years due to their adoptability and ability to live under circumstances other plants simply cannot survive in. Great Basin Bristlecone Pines flourish in isolated groves and 'thrive on adversity, living in harsh conditions and high elevation,' according to the USDA.
New York Times
23-05-2025
- New York Times
Brush Fire Near Popular California Lake Prompts Evacuations
A brush fire outside Yosemite National Park in California has forced the shut down of a major highway and the evacuation of a resort town near the Nevada border, officials said. The Inn fire ignited on Thursday afternoon and had burned more than 500 acres near Mono Lake, Calif., in Inyo National Forest by late Friday morning, according to Cal Fire, the state's fire fighting agency. Mono City, an unincorporated community of roughly 200 people northwest of the lake, was under evacuation on Friday afternoon. The Mono Inn restaurant and Tioga Lodge hotel, two popular establishments, had also been evacuated, according to the Mono County Sheriff's Office. The restaurant and the hotel sit just off Highway 395, the major artery in the region that was expected to remain closed through Friday afternoon, officials said. Highway 395 was closed mainly because of safety reasons, Lisa Cox, a spokeswoman for Inyo National Forest, told the local news organization Sierra Wave Media on Friday. 'Power lines have burned, power lines are down across the highway,' she said. 'We have to helicopter power line poles in.' The fire was spreading slowly through a landscape of mostly sagebrush in a northern direction toward Mono City. Chloe Castillo, a spokeswoman for Cal Fire, said firefighting efforts were focused on containing the fire's north end. 'It's creeping and smoldering in that area,' she said. Helicopters were pulling water from Mono Lake and Lundy Lake on Thursday and Friday and dropping it on the flames, Ms. Cox said. Air tankers have also been assisting and releasing flame retardant, but not over Mono Lake and Mill Creek. 'This fire has the potential to get larger and it has the potential to move, so we're trying to make as much progress as quickly as we can today,' Ms. Cox said on Friday. Mono Lake is a popular tourist destination and had been expecting an influx of visitors for Memorial Day weekend. The Inn fire is one of several brush fires that have erupted in California in the last week as the weather has begun to warm. Bodie State Historic Park, a gold-mining ghost town about 20 miles northeast of Mono City, is another popular draw to the area. It remained open on Friday. 'We definitely are getting smoke impacts,' said Matthew Maloney, a senior park aide. 'It's very hazy today and you can definitely smell the smoke today.' Mr. Maloney says Memorial Day weekend has been one of the busiest times of the year for the park. The fire broke out Thursday afternoon not far from the highway, just south of Mono City, amid dry, blustery weather. Winds up to 35 miles per hour pushed wildfire flames. 'It's not as gusty today,' said Mark Deutschendorf, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Reno, Nev. 'Looks like one site near the fire is gusting to 17 miles per hour.' Light winds are expected to continue overnight and into Saturday morning with winds of 20 m.p.h. or less. Potential thunderstorms on Saturday afternoon could bring erratic winds.
