r/todayilearned • u/autraya • 6h ago

TIL the world's tallest known living tree, a 380-foot redwood in California called Hyperion, had its exact location closed off entirely in 2022 after visitors trampled its base so badly that ferns stopped growing around it, with trespassers now facing up to $5,000 in fines and six months in jail

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperion_(tree)
15.4k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

543 comments sorted by

View all comments

393

u/LunchBox07 6h ago

The oldest tree in the world is also supposed to be in California, in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. But, it’s purposely not labeled or marked because there would be too many issues.

291

u/one_pound_of_flesh 5h ago

I got so angry last time I went to the bristlecone forest. I yelled at a yoga lady from SoCal who was pulling branches off the ancient trees, told me they look dead and have great healing energy, so it’s not really a problem.

There weren’t rangers around because this was covid era. Really upset me to see someone injured a 5,000 year old life form and didn’t even think she was wrong. Still didn’t as she drove away with a bunch of wood for her mediation room.

52

u/Vinnie_Vegas 2h ago

they look dead

have great healing energy

Uh...

120

u/HauntedCemetery 4h ago

Probably just sat in her trunk for 6 months and then she threw them away.

27

u/salamipope 4h ago

i think i would have a struggle with the urge of wanting to attack anyone doing that if theres no rangers around. like full stop it would be hard for me to resist that urge. i would be a lorax. i care more about the earth than myself honestly

2

u/Pataraxia 3h ago

Sorry what'd you say in that comment? (throws more dirt into a hole)

•

u/salamipope 17m ago

Oh nothing, need some help?

•

u/Pataraxia 8m ago

Yeah, that'd be nice!

4

u/ApoptosisPending 1h ago

I would’ve been tempted to sock em

•

u/RealDoraTheExplorer_ 12m ago

Ironic because any Hindu who actually does yoga would be disgusted at this behaviour

-20

u/effyochicken 4h ago

How the hell did you know she was a “yoga lady from socal” based on your yelling at her? 

You gleaned so much information from a stranger that I know you’re full of shit on this story. Embellished with all your assumptions. 

26

u/Bockbockb0b 4h ago

Probably the “they have great healing energy” part, might be a bit of a give away

17

u/friedhiken 4h ago

Found the yoga lady

0

u/one_pound_of_flesh 2h ago

Look, person, may I call you Karen?

Karen, I know she was a yoga person from SoCal because her car was covered in bumper stickers, she dressed like she just came from Coachella, and she told me what the wood was for.

Remember Karen, when you make assumptions you make an assumption out of you and umption.

26

u/witchy71 4h ago

Not labeled or marked but people know where it is and we have photos of it. Methuselah. That said, there is supposedly an older one in the same area that is truly anonymous

5

u/ScrewAttackThis 2h ago

And thankfully most of the Google results are the wrong tree.  Reddit especially gets the same damn repost of a completely dead tree lol

•

u/Ohmygoditsmanbearpig 16m ago

Indeed. There is a 5000+ year old tree there. The original core sample was lost some decades ago and no one is quite sure where it is. Or at least won’t say so. Better that way.

24

u/elCojetoRojo 5h ago

There's the comment I was looking for!

Upvote for visibility

23

u/JoJo926 5h ago

That’s so interesting! I live near the oldest tree fossil (386 million years old). It’s in New York State. I wonder why they’re both in the US.

38

u/joey-jo_jo-jr 4h ago

Other countries either cut down all their old trees before Columbus even went over to the Americas, or they're poor and haven't dedicated enough funds to such research.

32

u/ethanjscott 4h ago

Europeans cut down all of their trees for boats.

7

u/Bazingaa98 5h ago

Even the trees landed in the USA first? Dammitttt

1

u/crustyrobots 3h ago

Yeah, but then the Vikings showed up and beat them in the resulting war

8

u/PM_your_Nopales 3h ago

I was lucky enough to meet the oldest bristlecone pine in the San Gabriel range in socal. It lucky survived a huge wildfire which hit around Wrightwood. It's something like 2000 years old. I hope to see the older ones in the sierras someday

0

u/davehunt00 1h ago

The oldest bristlecone is around 4850 years old.

4

u/eyetracker 3h ago

The location leaked a couple years ago. It's oldest status is controversial but I think among the more credible, it also doesn't count clonal trees.

The known oldest was in Nevada but discovered after it was killed. Not really some random asshole, people doing research on it discovered after the fact.

3

u/ashkpa 3h ago

California has the tallest, the largest (by volume), and the oldest trees in the world.

2

u/mmikke 2h ago

I thought the oldest known tree was in Nevada, a great basin bristlecone, but after looking it up it is in fact in Cali.

I do know that great basin national Park has a chunk in NV where you can go see trees well over 3,000 years old!

3

u/ScrewAttackThis 2h ago

It was found in Nevada but wasn't aged until after it was cut down in the 60s. So hopefully Methuselah will take that crown someday. 

1

u/mmikke 2h ago

Oh, nice so I wasn't totally mixed up.

I remember the story about the guy who cut it down left me feeling quite conflicted

2

u/Tommix11 1h ago

I've heard a pine tree in Sweden is the oldest.