This 9,550-year-old Spruce tree is the oldest single tree in the world. It is located on Fulufjället Mountain in Sweden. The tree was discovered by Lief Kullman, a professor at Umeå University, who nicknamed it Old Tjikko, after his late dog.
Tjikko has stayed alive for so long because of a process called “vegetative cloning.” When the trunk of Old Tjikko dies, the root system stays alive and sprouts a new trunk. Most trunks of the tree live for hundreds of years.
The tree was photographed by Rachel Sussman, who has been documenting the oldest living things on Earth for the last decade. Her work is now collected in a book released last week.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/arbor-day-the-oldest-known-tree-on-earth-2014-4#ixzz300fvSWGp
