TREES

If you like things big, real big, then the General Sherman is the tree for you. This puppy is
the largest of all the giant sequoias and in fact has the most mass out of any single stemmed
tree in the world. You can find the General and others like him at Sequoia National Park,
California. The tree is almost 84 meters tall (275 ft). One of the most impressive features is

that the oldest age placed on Sherman is 2700 years. Ol Shermy has found himself topping
a multitude of categories, including being among the oldest trees with a confirmed age.

The unique baobab tree has become the symbol of Madagascar. If you want to see a
baobab, there is no place better than the Alley or (Avenue) of the Baobabs. Madagascar has
six native species of baobab trees, and despite common perception, they are in fact native to
forested areas. The reverence of the locals coupled with its natural fire resistant bark means
that baobabs are left standing long after the foliage around them has been cleared either by
natural bushfires or agricultural expansion. Unlike many trees, the baobab does not have
annual rings signifying their growth. However, carbon dating technology has indicated that
these trees can be thousands of years old. Baobab also bears fruit that can be used to make
juice or natural health remedies. The hollowness inside its trunk makes this tree an ideal
place for locals to use as storage (specifically for water). In 1993, the hollows of one of the
more famous baobabs have been used to make a pub.

At first glance, Old Tjikko is as unimpressive as they come. Lacking foliage on half of its
stem, this Norway Spruce tops out at a measly 16 meters. What is impressive about Old
Tjikko, however, is that it is the oldest individual clonal tree. Granted, this title comes with its
stipulations, so here is the fine print: a clonal tree can have a trunk that cyclically grows and
dies. So while the tree itself is not the oldest standing piece of natural timber in the world, its
apparatus (primarily its root system) has been in place for over 9500 years. You can snap a
picture of this old fogey on Fulufjllet Mountain within the aptly named Fulufjllet National
Park, Sweden.

New Zealands most famous type of tree is the kauri, megaliths that are charismatic in
appearance and large by design. The cream of the crop is often considered Tne Mahuta, a
kauri (possibly up to 2500 years old, but unconfirmed) that is the largest and most revered
tree among Pakeha (New Zealanders descended from European settlers) and Maori
(indigenous people of NZ) alike. The trees Maori name translates roughly into Lord of the
Forest. This tree has its own mythology that more than matches its visual splendor.
Although kauri trees are impressively large, you wont find the staggering girth of the giant
sequoias. While kauris are also ancient in their own rites, you wont find record breaking
ages. What you will find, though, is a testament to the never ending relation between nature
and spirituality.

Sri Maha Bodhi is found in Bodh Gaya, a place of religious pilgrimage for Buddhists. More
specifically, the tree is found next to the Mahabodhi Temple, a temple marking the place
where Buddha attained his enlightenment. In fact, legend has it that Buddha sat under the
very tree that is there today. A shrine marks the place where Buddha is thought to have
gazed at the tree with unblinking eyes for seven days. This ultimate show of respect and
adoration was in response to the trees help in his illumination. The story is so widely
regarded that this particular type of fig tree, wherever it is found, is now named the Bodhi
Tree (or simply Bo) or the Sacred Fig.

Trees are symbolic to many people. To the people of Sierre Leone, the Cotton Tree stands
as a monument to the freed African American slaves who settled the area circa 1792. These
former slaves were granted freedom when they fought for the British cause during the
American war of independence. According to lore, these freed men landed on the shore of
Sierre Leone and held a service of thanksgiving around this tree for being delivered into free
land (the town in which it resides in is aptly named Freetown). The tree hasnt been ageverified, but its cultural significance alone has earned it a place among the oldest, most
prestigious buildings Freetown has to offer. Services, offerings, and prayers are still offered
to the tree in order to entreat the favor of Sierre Leones ancestors. The tree remains a
symbol of hope and peace in an area of the world sometimes fraught with violence.

Just like humans, trees can become famous for all the wrong reasons. In Derby,
Australia, there is such a tree that attracts attention for all the wrong reasons. The
Boab Prison Tree is known to have been used to jail Aboriginal prisoners en route to
be sentenced in Derby. The word boab is an Australian take on baobab, and you
can see the resemblance between the boab and the baobab trees of Madagascar.
The Australian boab is known for having a trunk that is short, swollen and often
hollow. Its walls are thick and water tight, so like the baobabs of Madagascar,
Aboriginal Australians used the trees to collect and store water during dry months.
Boab leaves are also reputably medicinal

The Tree of Tule is located on sanctified grounds in Santa Mara del Tule, Mexico. The Tule
Tree is a Montezuma cypress, a type of tree known for its drum-like shape and overall
stoutness. Seemingly as much a boulder as a tree, El rbol del Tule sports one of the
stoutest trunks in the world, beating even that of the General Sherman. The tree is
considered a heritage site of Mexico and the world, but as usual humans tend to muck things
up. It has been determined that the Tule Tree is slowly dying from human exposure,
specifically pollution stemming from nearby traffic and choking its roots.

Sometimes fame just chances upon people, randomly elevating them beyond their station.
Methuselah has long been considered the oldest, non-clonal, single tree on earth. A staple
on tree articles and lists everywhere, though many people fail to recognize that there since
has been an older bristlecone pine found. Alas, this 5062 year old newcomer (ironic I know)
to the scene does not even have a proper name. Still, at 4800 plus years old, Methuselah

has done well for itself. Things could have been much worse, should this ancient one have
succumbed to the fate of its predecessor, Prometheus. Prometheus would be older than
Methuselah is now had it now been cut down in 1964. Methuselah has dispelled rumors that
it had anything to do with Prometheuss demise.

Yes, there are winding steps going around a large oak tree. But no, this is not World of
Warcraft or a fantasy novel. What you see before you is an oak tree that has long ago been
converted into a place of Christian worship. The tree can be found in the small French town
of Allouville-Bellefosse, where it has persevered through and serves as a reminder of the
medieval ages. The tree has been dated to be around 800 years old. During the 1600s, a fire
caused by a lightning bolt helped hollow out the inside, and amazingly the tree didnt die.
Wooden shingles have been placed in the areas where the oak tree is bare of bark.
Supports can be seen buttressing the tree against wind and its own weight. The Oak Chapel
of Allouville-Bellefosse ranks first on this list using no reason or logic outside of the fact it
best represents the merging of natural appreciation with human imagination.