Scientists believe there may be a tree in the world that has survived for more than 5,000 years.
A giant Patagonian cypress (Fitzroya cupressoides) in Chile, known as Alerce Milenario or Gran Abuelo (“Great-Grandfather”), is estimated to be over five millennia old.
Environmental scientist Jonathan Barichivich, who works at the Climate and Environmental Sciences Laboratory in Paris, recently led a study to determine the age of this extraordinary tree.
With a trunk measuring more than 13 feet (4 meters) in diameter, Alerce Milenario is already considered one of the oldest living trees on Earth.
Using a combination of traditional tree-ring analysis and advanced computer modeling, Barichivich’s team estimated that the tree could be approximately 5,484 years old. Because researchers were only able to directly sample about 2,400 growth rings without harming the tree, they used data from related trees and environmental variables to estimate the remaining years.
Their findings suggest there is an 80% probability that Gran Abuelo is older than 5,000 years.
If officially confirmed, this would make Alerce Milenario older than Methuselah, the famous bristlecone pine in California, which is currently recognized as the world’s oldest known living tree at roughly 4,853 years old.
Barichivich admitted he was surprised by the results, initially expecting the tree to be closer to 4,000 years old.
Some scientists, however, remain cautious. Experts such as Columbia University dendrochronologist Ed Cook argue that a complete ring count remains the gold standard for verifying a tree’s true age, and additional validation will likely be needed before the scientific community fully accepts the new record.
Regardless of whether it claims the title, Alerce Milenario’s confirmed age of well over 4,000 years already makes it a priceless natural treasure.
Researchers and conservationists warn that tourism infrastructure, environmental stress, and increasingly dry climate conditions could threaten the ancient tree’s survival. Protecting this remarkable organism is now considered a major priority for Chile.
Gran Abuelo stands not only as a symbol of resilience, but also as a living witness to thousands of years of Earth’s history.
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