North Carolina's Bald Cypress Tree Is One Of The Oldest Living Things In America
By Nikki Rhoades|Published March 24, 2020
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Nikki Rhoades
Author
Nikki is a lifelong Ohioan with a love for literature. She holds a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Akron and has enjoyed publishing her written work since 2007. She has a love of travel and does so frequently, though she believes that home is where the heart is — she continues to work in and around Cleveland as a digital content specialist to this day, working on everything from commercial scripts and social media posts to grassroots marketing initiatives.
If you’ve ever wondered about the age of the oldest tree in North Carolina, the common person might guess an age of just a few hundred years. There are plenty of trees as old as the founding of our nation, though many of them have been removed as settlers expanded their communities. Nonetheless, the oldest tree in our state is much older than that… by over 2,000 years, in fact. Scientists discovered one tree in 2019 that’s age is absolutely astonishing. Check it out:
North Carolina is known for its natural beauty, but most people come here looking for waterfalls, beaches, and other natural waterworks.
Believe it or not, North Carolina has much more to offer than the traditional haunts of adventure seekers. In fact, if you're willing to try something different than hiking, you might consider kayaking on the biodiverse Black River.
However, as you travel along the Black River, you just might stumble upon the oldest tree in the world.
The banks of the river are dominated by an old growth forest, or a very old collection of trees that has changed very little over the years. It has been known for at least several decades that the trees surrounding this area could be more than 1,000 years old.
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This tree is a taxodium distichum, or bald cypress, tree. This is a species that can survive in wet or dry conditions and can live for a very long time.
This unusual conifer is unique to the Southeastern United States. Its leaves are like lace, but don't let this softness fool you. These guys are hardy and they adapt to most any soil type.
Want to see the tree in person? Check out this video by CBS 17:
This tree was dated back to circa 605 BCE, a year that experts assert makes this particular tree the fifth oldest in the world. To put that into perspective, this tree was alive during the reign of Necho II... thought by scholars to be the Pharaoh mentioned in the Bible.
A neighboring tree was found to be nearly 2,100 years old. These trees, however, are not quite half the age of certain bristlecone pines in California.
What is most amazing about this ancient tree is that it may not even be the oldest on the Black River... After all, scientists are always learning.
It has taken decades of study so far, between dendrochronology, paleoclimatology, field work, and carbon dating to find this particularly ancient tree. As researchers continue their explorations, additional ancient trees may be discovered... and their age just may rival the age of what we currently consider to be the oldest tree in North Carolina.
If you ever spot a bald cypress tree, stop to admire it for a moment. If only these trunks could talk...
Wouldn't it be fascinating to hear the stories these trees would tell? Fortunately, studying their rings over time just may reveal more than spoken words ever could.
Currently, this river hides the oldest tree in North Carolina… at least that we know of. Do you think there could be older trees hiding in the untamed wilderness of our state? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Can’t get enough of local history? You might be surprised to learn that the nation’s oldest road cuts through North Carolina.
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