California redwood: This beautiful, soaring 249 foot tree is a mere 777 years old - half what experts believed
Experts are cataloguing old growth trees across the state
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.They had estimated soaring redwood tree located in California’s Muir Woods, would be at least 1,500 years old.
It turned out to be half that.
The study by Humboldt State University is the first determination of the age of trees in the woods that sit north of San Francisco, the Associated Press reported..
The findings mean the 249-foot-tall coast redwood named Tree 76 was born seven centuries later than initially believed. It also means the oldest and biggest tree found in Muir Woods is just a baby compared with the huge old-growth trees farther north.
San Francisco's Save the Redwoods League is documenting the age, size and tree-ring history of California's old-growth redwood groves as part a statewide project. The plan is to identify tree-ring patterns and figure out how trees react to climate change.
Reports said that tree rings are larger during wet years and smaller during dry years.
Tree-ring science was used to document a coast redwood near Crescent City that is 2,520 years old. The oldest giant sequoia, a redwood species that grows in the Sierra Nevada, is 3,240 years old.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments