Some trees adorn our planet for only a few decades, while others live for millennia. With the deterioration of the environment, the life of trees is reduced. We will find out how many trees of different species live, and how to determine their age.
How many individual tree species live?
First we find out how many trees live under favorable conditions - if the tree grows in "its" climatic zone without experiencing adverse effects.
Maple
The life span of maple can reach 400-500 years. In Russia, such centenarians are rare. So, for example, the life expectancy of ash maple imported from North America does not exceed 100 years. A sprawling tree with conspicuous leaves of elaborate shapes.
Maple seeds can spread very far - the diptera, falling, begin to rotate and, caught in the wind, fly away.
The height of maple stands reaches 15-20 meters.
Beech
Beeches live 400-500 years. Widely distributed in European forests. Characteristic features:
- smooth trunk, which reaches a width of 2 m;
- maximum height - 30 m.
The tree grows slowly, but lives for a long time. Beech has acorn-like fruits. Moreover, they appear only in trees that have reached 40-50 years of age. Beech nuts have a unique ability to regulate metabolic processes.
Poplar
In nature, poplars grow for about 1000 years. This tree is actively planted in cities and along roads. If poplars have to grow in an unfavorable environment, they live less - 60-70 years.
Poplars can often be seen in industrial areas - they are planted here because of the ability to absorb radiation and harmful substances.
The height of poplars with columnar trunks reaches 35 meters. The leaves are rounded. Poplar is a dioecious plant; there are female and male individuals. It is female trees that are the source of fluff, which causes allergies in many citizens.
Oak
Oak lives up to 1000 years. This is a well-known long-liver in our area. In Russia, mainly branched oak (Quercusrobur) grows. There are approximately 600 varieties in the oak family. Oak is easily recognizable by its powerful trunk and spreading crown. Also, oak can be unmistakably identified by such signs:
- a figured sheet of an uniquely beautiful shape;
- the original fruit is acorn, which adore wild boars and pigs.
The tree is distributed throughout Europe. Oak wood is appreciated in furniture production.
Hornbeam
The hornbeam lives for about 300 years. It grows in Europe, less in Transcaucasia and Asia Minor. It features a wide crown. Likes to grow in shady deciduous forests. Growth is very slow. Belongs to the birch family. Leaves are an excellent livestock feed. Hornbeam fruits are used to produce oil. Tree height - up to 30 m.
Linden
Linden lives on average 300-400 years, in some cases it can live for 1000 years. In Russia, many varieties of linden grow - Amur, Caucasian, large-leafed. European linden can reach 40 meters in height. This beautiful tree is a source of linden blossom, which is actively used in cosmetology and medicine. Wood is easy to process - thanks to the softness of the fibers, it serves as an ideal raw material for carving.
Birch
The life span of birches is 100-150 years. If the conditions are favorable, the tree can live 300 years. The range of distribution of birch stretches from French lands to Altai. The most common species is warty or weeping birch (BetulaVerrucosa). Average indicators of birch:
- height - up to 45 m;
- trunk grasp - up to 1.5 meters.
The tree has several dwarf subspecies.
The trunk of a young tree is completely smooth, light brown in color. Its famous trunk color is white in black stripes, the birch acquires only after reaching 8 years of age.
The leaves of the birch are small, in the form of rounded triangles, the edges are serrated.
Ash
The average life expectancy of ash is 500 years. Its fruits are in the form of lionfish, which fall in winter. He has a thin leafy cover, well transmitting sunlight. Features:
- tree height - up to 30 m;
- trunk width - up to 1 m;
Ash wood has a special strength, therefore, is appreciated in construction. Ash bark, its fruits and wood juice are used in medicine.
Elm
On average, elms live up to 300 years. The tree can grow in the form of a bush. Young trees have a smooth bark, which coarsens with age. Elongated leaves, seeds - lionfish. Elm height - up to 40 m.
It grows on plains and hills, in shady places and in open sunny wasteland.
Chestnut
Chestnuts live from 200 to 300 years. It features original flowers and leaves. The height of the chestnut is up to 35 m. Inflorescences are in the form of cones. In the fall, fruits ripen - they are in a spiky box. On the basis of the fruits, painkillers are made.
Aspen
Lives on average 80-90 years, rarely lives up to 150 years. It has a columnar trunk. It reaches a height of 35 m. In diameter - up to 1 m. It burns poorly and is not valued as fuel.
Alder
The alder has a lifespan of about 100 years. This is a unique tree that can improve the soil - it is enriched with nitrogen fertilizers. Near the alder, raspberries and other shrubs grow well. Height - up to 20 m.
Pine
A tree lives on average up to 600 years. This is one of the most common trees in the forests of Europe and Russia. Varieties of pine are widespread:
- Siberian cedar - lives up to 500 years;
- European cedar - lives up to 1200 years.
Pinus sylvestris (Pinus sylvestris) covers over 20% of the territory of the former USSR. Its height is from 20 to 40 m.
Spruce
Lives from 600 to 1200 years - depending on the species. Growing around the world. There are species that grow in a particular area. They reach a height of 50 m. It has a cone-shaped crown. Seeds appear on the 20th year of life - they are contained in cones.
Fir
On average, lives 300-400 years. Can live up to 700 years. Coniferous plant with vertically growing cones. The tree is evergreen. The needles do not fall even after the branches have dried. The height of the fir depends on the species.
Yew
Lives from 1500 to 2000 years. Under favorable conditions, it can live 3,000-4,000 years. Yew berry grows very slowly. Height - 10-20, sometimes up to 28 m.
Thuja
Thuja lives 150-200 years. It belongs to coniferous plants, but it does not have needles. This evergreen tree is unpretentious to the soil, so it belongs to the most popular ornamental plants. It reaches a height of 2.5 m. Thuja folded or giant can grow in height up to 6 m, western thuja - up to 20 m.
Juniper
On average, junipers live 200-300 years. There are juniper species living for 500 years or more. Height and life span depends on the species. The maximum height is 8-12 m.
Apple tree
Life expectancy is from 100 years, depending on the species. This tree happens:
- fruity;
- decorative;
- wild.
The maximum height is 15 m; there are also undersized shrubs among apple trees. Trees vary in frost resistance and moisture requirements.
Pear
Lives an average of 70 years. Some species can live up to 150 years. Fruiting lasts up to 50 years. There are approximately 60 species. Height - up to 20 m. He does not like to grow in places with a high level of groundwater. In order for the tree to live longer, it should be planted on higher ground
Plum
Plum lives no more than 20 years. The tree bears fruit already in the third year of life. Prefers moist soil. He does not like drafts. Reaches 15 m in height.
Cherry
Cherry has a lifespan of 25 years. It does not happen above 10 m. It is compact and productive. One cherry brings up to 20 kg of fruit. In the wild, lives up to 5 years longer.
Sweet cherry
This thermophilic tree lives 25-30 years. Much more whimsical than cherries. Gives tasty and juicy fruits. In height reaches 8-12 m.
Apricot
Lives up to 100 years. It reaches a height of 5-8 m. It is not able to regulate fruiting - because of this there is an overabundance of fruits. Resistant to drought.
Rowan
Lives 50-80 years. It happens that individuals survive to 200 years. It has 190 species. It happens in the form of a tree and a bush. Height - 8-12 m.
How to find out the age of a tree?
Receiving energy from the sun, trees grow at different intensities - depending on solar activity. There are two ways to determine age - accurate and inaccurate, consider both.
Exact - on annual rings
To determine the exact age of the tree, you must first cut it. Let’s figure out why.
The trunk expands due to the cambium - a special tissue that creates cells in both directions - inside the trunk and out. How cambium develops depending on the time of year:
- Spring. Cambium produces cells characterized by a large width and narrowness of the walls. Such cells deliver nutrients more efficiently. Fabrics formed in spring have a lighter shade.
- Fall. At this time of year, cambium produces thick-walled cells that give wood increased strength. The autumn layer differs from the spring in a darker color.
By the number of stripes - light and dark, you can find out the age of the tree. To accurately determine the number of years lived, specialists use:
- a microscope;
- coloring matter.
If the dark strip is wider than usual, it means that the tree survived cold autumn and long winter this year.
By the number of dark and light rings, you can determine:
- how old is the tree;
- In what climatic conditions did the tree grow.
Inaccurate - by indirect indications
But how do you know the age of a tree without cutting it? In this case, use the calculation based on the average indicators:
- Determine the circumference of the trunk at a level of 1.5 m from the ground.
- The resulting value is divided by 3.14 - the number of "Pi". The result obtained is the diameter of the barrel.
- The diameter is divided by the value of the average annual growth of a particular tree in the studied region.
The result is not accurate, the error may be 20-30%.
Tree Life Tables
The average life spans of some deciduous trees are shown in table 1.
Table 1
Name | How long does the tree live (average / maximum), years |
Gray alder | 50-70 (150) |
Black alder | 100-150 (300) |
Aspen | 80-100 (150) |
Warty birch | 150-300 |
Common ash | 150-200 (350) |
Elm smooth | 150 (300-400) |
Rough Elm | up to 300 |
Small-leaved linden | 300-400 (600) |
Forest beech | 400-500 |
English oak | up to 1500 |
Maple | 100 (300-400) |
Poplar | 100 |
Hornbeam | 300 |
Ash | 300 |
Elm | 300 |
Chestnut | 300 |
The average life expectancy of some common conifers is summarized in table 2.
table 2
Name | How long does a tree live, years |
European spruce | 300-400 |
Blue spruce | 400-600 |
European larch | 400-600 |
Siberian fir | 700 |
Juniper | 500 |
Common pine | 100 |
European cedar pine | 1000 |
Siberian cedar | 1000 |
Thuja western | 150-200 |
Yew berry | 1500-2000 |
The average life expectancy of fruit trees is summarized in table 3.
Table 3
Name | How long does a tree live, years |
Wild apple tree | up to 200 years |
Home apple tree | 100-120 |
Plum | 15-60 |
Pear | 150 |
Peach | 5-20 |
Apricot | 100 |
Rowan | 80-300 |
Sweet cherry | 25-30 |
Cherry | 20-25 |
What affects the life span?
The main factor affecting the life of a tree is its appearance. So, fruit trees live the least - their lifespan is estimated in decades. But deciduous and coniferous trees can live for hundreds and even thousands of years - they are the basis of the “evergreen” forests of our planet.
Coniferous trees
The life span of conifers is longer than that of deciduous counterparts. Reasons for longevity:
- Representatives of conifers are easier to tolerate the harsh climate.
- Unpretentious in relation to the soil. They can grow on poor sandstones and clay soils.
- Thanks to the branched root system, conifers are hardy - they absorb water from the soil well.
- Due to the special shape of the crown, they receive maximum solar energy even at high growth densities.
- The needles, unlike the leaf, have a small surface area and are covered with wax - this helps to retain moisture in it.
The following factors can influence the life span of conifers:
- Genetics. Each plant has certain adaptability.
- Soil characteristics - the effect is much less than the growth of deciduous trees.
- Humidity and temperature slightly affects - conifers grow in their usual environment. Only global climate changes can affect their lifespan.
- Terrain - plain, slopes, mountains. The strength and direction of the wind depend on it.
- Forest density - affects conifers minimally, as their crowns are adapted to difficult conditions.
- Diseases and Pests. Fungal and bacterial infections can significantly reduce the lifespan of any tree.
Deciduous trees
The life span of deciduous trees can vary greatly even within the same species. The following factors can affect the life span:
- Soil characteristics - its density, composition, saturation with nutrients and trace elements.
- Climatic conditions - humidity, average annual temperature, strength and direction of the wind, other indicators.
- Environment - how closely neighboring trees grow. If the growth density is high, then only the strongest individuals live for a long time.
- Insects and other pests.
- Location - natural environment or urban conditions. It is clear that in a city where the air is polluted, trees live less.
Fruit trees
The life span of fruit trees is affected by:
- Type of fruit tree.
- Soil quality and top dressing.
- Cutting, treatment, warming for the winter and other care measures.
- The destruction of pests, especially bark beetles, which are capable of destroying a tree in a couple of years.
Why, despite increased care, do fruit trees live so little? From fruit trees expect large yields. Artificially accelerating the growth of a tree, a person forces a tree to waste its resources - it, having used up a reserve of forces, weakens ahead of time, and dies.
Oldest trees
Under favorable conditions and appropriate genetic capabilities, some trees can live for thousands of years:
- Pine Methuselah. The record holder among centenarians is growing in the western United States. Its location is California, National Wildlife Refuge, White Mountains. The tree is located at an elevation of 3000 m above sea level. Its exact location is a mystery. Employees of the reserve protect the tree from tourists who will definitely want to cut a piece of bark from it or take a picture with it. The old tree needs peace.
The age of Methuselah pine is 4580 years. This is the oldest tree on the planet.
- Sequoia General Sherman. Location - USA, California, Sequoia National Park. It is the oldest and highest sequoia in the world. Her age is 2300-2800 years. The height of the tree is 84 m. In girth, it reaches 31 m - at the base. Near the tree is always full of tourists.
The oldest sequoia in the world continues to grow - every year it adds 1.5 cm in girth.
- Shtorashensky plane tree from Nagorno-Karabakh. His age is 2000 years. The height of the plane tree is 54 m. At the base is a giant hollow, its area is about 45 square meters. m. Plane leaves reach 50 cm in length. The area of the crown is 1.5 thousand square meters. m, so the old plane tree is visible to astronauts in orbit.
- Chestnut "Tree of a hundred horses". Grows on Mount Etna, Sicily. The trunk in girth is 58 m. Its approximate age is 2000-4000 years. The relic chestnut is located 8 km from the mouth of the volcano, how he managed to live so much - amazing!
- Cypress "Zoroastrian Sarv." Location - Yazd Province, Iran. Age - 4000-4500 years. It was then, scientists say, that the wheel was invented.
- Yew in the village of Hyangernyf, North Wales. Age - 4000 years.
- Spruce Tikko. This tree is a clone of an old spruce tree, whose age is 9,500 years. Rather, it is the age of its roots. The present trunk was eaten for several hundred years, its height is only 5 m. When the relict tree died, its roots took root.
Video about long-lived trees. Watch an interesting video about the five oldest trees in the world:
Table 4 presents the life expectancy of long-lived trees:
Table 4
Name | Life expectancy, years |
Sequoia | 5000 |
Baobab | 5000 |
Yew | 3000 |
Cypress | 3000 |
Cedar pine | 1200 |
English oak | 1000 |
Silver poplar | 1000 |
Sycamore | 1000 |
Trees are priceless - this is the beauty of our planet, clean air and the source of all kinds of blessings. Before a tree grows, years pass. The task of man is to increase natural and artificial plantings. Planting trees for a specific purpose - decorative or economic, it is useful to know how many years it will decorate your garden, courtyard, city, world.
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