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[–] 29 points 2 months ago (7 children)

I was surprised to learn this summer that birch trees can have short lifespans. Paper birch might only live like 30 to 40 years when grown as a crop.

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  • [–] 17 points 2 months ago* (5 children)

    I learned this summer bristlecone pines are among the longest lived life forms on earth. The oldest known non-clonal tree in the world is a bristlecone pine, named Methuselah, in California over 4800 years old. Its exact location is a closely guarded secret since the last oldest tree, also a bristlecone pine, was accidentally cut down.

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  • [–] 4 points 2 months ago (3 children)
  • [–] 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

    Well sort of. The researcher got permission, but they didn't realize it was going to be the oldest tree ever recorded or they wouldn't have done it.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 months ago

    Even when not grown as a crop, alders, willows, and birches tend to have a more β€˜human’ lifespan, around a century or so.

    Then on the other end of the spectrum, there are trees like yews, sequoias, and bristlecone pines, which live for millennia.

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