Image Catalogue number
960175T

Ancient Bristlecone pine tree in the White Mountains above eleven thousand feet altitude. This tree was probably alive on the day Jesus was born.

This is a harsh climate with poor soil and a very short growing season. The pines only grow a small amount each year. A three foot (one meter) tree could well be seventy or eighty years old. Bristlecone pines are the longest living species on Earth. Some of the groves have living trees that are well over 2000 years old. The oldest known living Bristlecone tree is over 4000 years old.

White Mountains, California