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Twisted tree patterns, Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, White Mountains, California, USA.

Ancient trees have grown twisted into fascinating shapes in the harsh dry alpine climate at Schulman Grove, in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, Inyo National Forest, in the White Mountains, near Big Pine, California, USA. The world's oldest known living non-clonal organism was found here in 2013 -- a Great Basin bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva) 5064 years old, germinated in 3051 BC. It beat the previous record set by the famous nearby 4847-year-old Methuselah Tree sampled around 1957. Starting from the visitor center at 9846 feet, we hiked the Cabin Trail loop, returning along Methuselah Grove Trail (highly recommended, to visit the world's oldest living trees), with views eastward over Nevada's basin-and-range region. An important dendrochronology, based on these trees and dead bristlecone pine samples, extends back to about 9000 BC (with a single gap of about 500 years).

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1507CAL-1528.jpg
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© Tom Dempsey / PhotoSeek.com
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Contained in galleries
California: Sierras: Inyo National Forest, USA: California favorites, Highlights 2015, 2015 Jul 5-23: all: Sierra Nevada + Castle Crags, California
Ancient trees have grown twisted into fascinating shapes in the harsh dry alpine climate at Schulman Grove, in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, Inyo National Forest, in the White Mountains, near Big Pine, California, USA. The world's oldest known living non-clonal organism was found here in 2013 -- a Great Basin bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva) 5064 years old, germinated in 3051 BC. It beat the previous record set by the famous nearby 4847-year-old Methuselah Tree sampled around 1957. Starting from the visitor center at 9846 feet, we hiked the Cabin Trail loop, returning along Methuselah Grove Trail (highly recommended, to visit the world's oldest living trees), with views eastward over Nevada's basin-and-range region. An important dendrochronology, based on these trees and dead bristlecone pine samples, extends back to about 9000 BC (with a single gap of about 500 years).
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