How long does a pine tree live: the average age and lifespan of a tree
Pine, a tree familiar to every inhabitant of Russia. Coniferous beauty is often planted in summer cottages, on city streets, it is customary to dress her up for the New Year holidays. And if you take a closer look, we know very little about this amazing tree. Not everyone can answer questions about how long pine trees live, how to determine their age, what types of wood are found in our country.
How long does a tree usually live
The most common type of pine in Russia is Scotch pine. This is an evergreen tree, reaching 40-50 meters in height, with dense stiff green-brown needles.The needles are slightly curved, arranged in pairs in bundles. The needles stay on the branch from 3 to 8 years, depending on favorable conditions. The bark of a young plant is reddish and smooth, with age it acquires a gray tint at the base, towards the top, the color changes to reddish.
The crown of young green beauties resembles a cone, with age it becomes spherical. The life span of a tree is from 100 to 500 years, there are 800-year-old specimens. On average, a pine tree lives 200-300 years. Older plants are found in reserves and sanctuaries where human activity is not too pronounced.
The active growth phase of a tree is 40 years old. The first 5 years, the annual growth is 10 centimeters. Further growth accelerates, it grows by 30-40 centimeters. Pine older than 10 years is able to grow 1 meter per year. After 40 years, the growth rate slows down, the plant's strength goes to thickening the trunk and sprawling crown.
Expert opinionZarechny Maxim ValerievichAgronomist with 12 years of experience. Our best gardening expert.Ask a QuestionImportant: decorative varieties of wood live no more than 40-90 years.Pine is an unpretentious plant, it can survive in the most extreme conditions, but it needs sunny areas for better growth and development. Young pines do not tolerate drought well. A 3-5 year old seedling may die from cold at too low temperatures.
What factors affect life expectancy
The lifespan of a pine depends on several factors. The type of plant, type of soil, growth rate are taken into account. In areas with long frosty winters and short summers, it grows more slowly, which increases its lifespan. Wildfires, hurricanes, floods, droughts affect life expectancy.
But the main enemy of wild trees is man.Uncontrolled deforestation, fires caused by human negligence, heavy machinery that appears in the forest and damages tree roots, all this negatively affects the life expectancy of pine trees. Mature trees rarely die from the attack of pests, but they are dangerous for young pines.
Another factor that affects the life of a plant is the level of groundwater. If it is higher than 2 meters, the pine root system will suffer. Such an instance will not become a long-liver.
Ways to determine the age of a tree
The most accurate way to determine the age of a pine is by the annual rings of the trunk. But for this you have to cut down the plant. There are easier ways:
- The circumference of the trunk is measured at 1.5 meters from the ground, then the diameter is calculated. Barrel thickness is divided by 3.14. The result is divided by the value of the annual growth of the tree. For pine, this coefficient is 0.7. The result is the approximate age of the tree.
- By whorls. Whorls are called fan-shaped shoots that form every year. The number of whorls on the pine is counted, 3 is added to the result, since the first whorl is formed at the age of 3 years.
- You can roughly determine the age by the height of the green giant. Growth rates will vary throughout the year (depending on soil, weather conditions, amount of sunlight).
- An old or young plant is easy to recognize by the color of the bark. Young specimens have smooth reddish bark. With age, it acquires a gray tint and becomes covered with deep longitudinal wrinkles.
- With a drill. A piece of wood is drilled in the trunk with a tool, no more than a pencil thick. Age is calculated using annual rings. This method does no harm, copious flowing resin will heal the damage.
The width and shape of the crown, as well as the thickness of the trunk, give approximate information about the age. After the phase of active growth (40-50 years), Scotch pine stops growing upwards. All resources are spent on thickening the trunk, the crown becomes rounded.
Life time record holders
Pine is the oldest tree on Earth. The long-lived record holder received his own name - Methuselah, in honor of the biblical ancestor. This is a bristlecone pine growing in California. The established life span of the giant is 4850 years, this is proven by carbon analysis of wood. The location of the plant is classified to avoid the influx of tourists.
In Russia there is a register of old-growth trees, specimens over 200 years old are entered there. All of them are under state protection.
