How one man accidentally killed the oldest tree discovered so far

​In 1964, a man identified as Donal Rusk Currey killed a Great Basin bristlecone pine tree, which was the oldest tree discovered so far. Currey later said that he killed the tree accidentally and he understood the ramifications of his action only after he started counting the rings of the fallen tree.

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​In 1964, a man identified as Donal Rusk Currey killed a Great Basin bristlecone pine tree, which was the oldest tree discovered so far. Currey later said that he killed the tree accidentally and he understood the ramifications of his action only after he started counting rings of the fallen tree. According to Currey, his tree corer has got stuck in the tree and the corer got stuck so badly that it wouldn’t come out. Currey sought help from a park ranger who decided to cut the tree down to remove the corer. Once the tree was cut down, Currey began to count the rings and he then realised that the tree was almost 5,000 years old – the oldest tree ever recorded.

It is to be noted that Great bristlecone pines are some of the longest living trees in the world and these trees can touch a maximum height of around 20 feet. According to Collectors Weekly, even if a large portion of a bristlecone is damaged by erosion or fire, small strips of living bark of the tree can keep it alive.

“Bristlecones will grow a thousand years or so, and then the bark will start dying off on one side,” says Tom Harlan, a researcher at the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research at the University of Arizona to Smithsonianmag.com. “Therefore, the tree can’t support the branches directly above that area, and they die. Pretty soon you’re left with a small strip of bark, which is supporting all of the foliage. It might be only 2 inches wide, but the pine is still considered a growing, healthy tree.”

The age of the tree is calculated using a method called dendrochronology. This method is much more complicated than just counting rings because each ring not always correspond to a year. 

The University of Arizona’s Laboratory of Tree Ring Research explained, "Ring-counting does not ensure the accurate dating of each individual ring. Numerous studies illustrate how ring-counting leads to incorrect conclusions drawn from inaccurate dating. Dendrochronologists demand the assignment of a single calendar year to a single ring. Various techniques are used to crossdate wood samples to assure accurate dating."

The tree cut down by Currey was nicknamed the Prometheus tree. Collectors Weekly wrote, "The Prometheus tree’s felling made it doubly symbolic, as the myth of its namesake captures both the human hunger for knowledge and the unintended negative consequences that often result from this desire. Though members of the scientific community and press were outraged that the tree was killed, Currey’s mistake ultimately provided the impetus to establish Great Basin National Park to protect the bristlecones. The death of the Prometheus tree also helped to change our larger perception of trees as an infinitely replenishing resource."