The
remains of a very ancient Bristlecone pine tree.
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 tree
in this picture could have lived over two thousand years before
it died.
The
oldest known living Bristlecone tree is over 4000 years old.
White
Mountains, California