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The oldest tree in Europe dates back to the Ice Age and was discovered fairly recently.
The oldest tree in Europe, and indeed the world, is located in Sweden. This record-breaking specimen, over 9,500 years old and likely having lived through the Ice Age, was discovered relatively recently.
In the search for Europe’s oldest tree, one must head north on the continent, specifically to the Dalarna region in central Sweden, near the border with Norway. Scientists claim that here, we’ll likely find not just Europe’s oldest tree but also the oldest globally, standing at over 9,500 years.
Europe’s Oldest Tree
Europe’s oldest tree is also the world’s oldest. Growing within the Fulufjället National Park, a spruce tree stands at over 9,500 years old. Discovered in 2004 by a pair of scientists from Umeå University in northern Sweden, Leif Kullman and Lisa Öberg named the spruce “Old Tjikko” in honor of their deceased dog, Tjikko.
Carbon-14 dating conducted at that time indicated that the spruce’s roots were a record-breaking 9,565 years old. This suggests its origins likely trace back to the last Ice Age.
“Old Tjikko” is a clonal tree, originating from a single zygote, generating new stems over centuries. Through its cloning ability, a new stem sprouted from the deceased trunk…
