REALLY Old Trees!!

Not only are the aspens near their peak fall splendor in Great Basin NP, there are Bristlecone Pines! Yes, here on this sky island live some of the oldest things on earth...not just trees, anything! One tree here is the world's oldest living tree...4,950 years of age! The bristlecones live at timberline, in a harsh environment characterized by cold, wind, poor soil, and drought. As a result, they get really gnarly.

Bristlecone bark is mother nature's Picasso application, coming in all shades and shapes. It's gorgeous...what else can I say? As a hiker I met on the trail remarked, everyone should see these trees before they die. Blow up the pic for more detail.

One reason bristlecones live so long is that part of the tree survives after other parts are long dead. The right side of the tree in the center gave up the ghost probably centuries ago, but the left side is still going strong...blow up the pic for more detail. Core samples taken from the log lying in front of the tree reveal that it was three thousand years old when it died three hundred years ago. Bristlecone wood is very hard and has a high resin content. Combined with the dry climate, it doesn't rot...rather, it erodes slowly, like rock.

Bristlecone pines don't have a monopoly on timberline vegetation in Great Basin NP. Limber pine also grows here; you might recall that this hardy pine also grows among the lava at Craters of the Moon NM in Idaho. In this pic limber pine is on the left, bristlecone to the right.