Old Tjikko – the Oldest Tree in the World (9,550 Years Old)

The oldest individual clonal tree in the world is believed to be 9,550 years old (carbon-dated)! This Norway Spruce is located on the Fulufjället Mountain of Dalarna province in Sweden and was discovered by a professor of Physical Geography, Leif Kullman. The tree has been nicknamed "Old Tjikko" after his dog.

At first sight, this 5 meter (16 feet) tall tree might not strike you as the oldest known living organism, but don\'t let its size fool you! Over thousands of years this fella has successfully adapted to every climate change that has effected the area in which it resides.

It\'s believed that the reason why this tree has survived for so long is due to two processes:vegetative cloning and layering. During vegetative cloning, the tree trunk can die every few hundred years (~600 in this case), but the root system can live on for thousands of years. Layering occurs when one of the branches touches the ground and eventually "turns into a root".

Scientists have also located several other trees in the area, all dating to be 8,000+ years old – truly stunning!

Methuselah – the Oldest Non-Clonal Tree in the World (4,845 Years Old)

Methuselah is a type of pine tree growing high in the White Mountains of Inyo County in eastern California. It got its name after one of the longest-living characters in the Bible, who lived to be almost 1,000 years old.

Hyperion – the Tallest Tree in the World (115.6 meters/379\' 4")

Hyperion was discovered on August 25, 2006 by naturalists Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor in a very remote region of Redwood National and State Parks (California, USA) and is believed to be approximately 700-800 years old. Explorers say that the tree could have been possibly taller than 380\', but due to woodpecker damage at the very top it is currently measuring in at 379\' 4".Although several other trees have been recorded to be taller than this giant, most of them have fallen to mid/early 60\'s heavy deforestation of the Redwood region. In fact more than 90% of state\'s ancient forests have been logged during those times until 1978, when the area was purchased and extended into a National Park. People speculate that thousands of trees – some even larger and taller than the Hyperion – were cut down during the 24/7 logging shifts of 60\'s and 70\'s.

As with all of these rare trees, the exact location is held in secret and only 3 groups of people were ever able to find it and document it.