THE 9 OLDEST, TALLEST, AND BIGGEST TREES IN THE WORLD

Trees are some of the most interesting and diverse living organisms in the world. How they communicate, how they grow for generations, and how they adapt to some of the harshest environments on the planet are questions that have captured the human imagination for thousands of years.

Trees come in all shapes and sizes, with some having amazing fun facts that inspire us, and others having incredible stories of survival against the backdrop of historic events. From the tallest types of trees in California to the largest canopies in India, let’s explore the oldest, tallest, and biggest trees in the world. Whether by merit of age, height, volume, or diameter, these are the rockstars of the tree world — and incredibly, many of them still have room to grow.  

1. THE OLDEST TREE IN THE WORLD: METHUSELAH TREE
Methuselah is a Great Basin bristlecone pine (pinus longaeva) that is currently, as of this writing, a mind-bending 4,854 years old. Its exact location is kept secret for its safety, but it lies somewhere among the aptly named Methuselah Grove in the White Mountains of eastern California. Methuselah and other bristlecone pines are able to grow so old thanks to many biological adaptations to their harsh environment in the high-altitude, desert regions of the Southeast United States.

They thrive in soils where other trees struggle to grow, their wood is extremely dense and full of resin, and they can lose up to 90% of their bark and still survive. With these adaptations, it’s no wonder Methuselah appears here as the oldest living tree.