Is There Really a 9000 Year Old Tree? Nature’s Wild Secret

The myth—or truth?—of the world’s oldest tree

Honestly, I thought it was a myth at first. I mean, 9000 years old? That sounds more like a fantasy creature than a living plant. But then, one evening over beers, my buddy Chris (he’s a total nature geek, works in environmental science) brought it up again. "Bro, there’s literally a clonal tree in Sweden that’s been alive since the Stone Age." I nearly choked on my IPA.

So yeah, turns out... it’s not just folklore. There is something out there. Let me walk you through it.

Meet Old Tjikko: the 9,560-year-old survivor

What exactly is Old Tjikko?

This isn’t your usual big, gnarly oak. Old Tjikko is a clonal spruce tree located on Mount Fulufjället in Sweden. What makes it so insane is that it's not the trunk that’s ancient (that part's only a few hundred years old), but its root system that’s been going for over 9,500 years. Yup, while humans were just figuring out farming, this thing was already stretching out its roots.

Clonal trees reproduce by sprouting new trunks from the same root system—so while the visible part dies and regrows, the base stays put. Creepy-cool, right?

How do we know it’s that old?

Good question, and yeah, I was suspicious too. But scientists used radiocarbon dating on the roots, and that’s how they nailed the age down to around 9,560 years. I remember reading the actual study, and even though the science was way above my pay grade, the numbers blew my mind.

Can a tree really live that long? Kinda depends

Definitions get... weird

So here’s where it gets messy. What do you mean by "a tree"? If you’re picturing a single trunk, tall and proud, no—those rarely live past a few thousand years max. But if you accept clonal colonies as "a tree", then yeah, these ancient root systems can go on for what feels like forever.

(There’s also a clonal colony of aspens in Utah called Pando that’s possibly over 14,000 years old, but don’t quote me on that—I still have doubts, and so do researchers.)

The catch with clonal trees

The visible part of the tree? That dies and regenerates. So you're not looking at a 9000-year-old branch or leaf or anything. But the living system beneath? That’s what's eternal-ish.

Honestly, I used to roll my eyes at stuff like this. I thought, "Well, that’s cheating." But then again, it’s kind of like how we see families, right? Generations connected to the same roots.

My own awkward tree encounter (and realization)

Okay, quick story. Back in 2018, I was in Norway for a hiking trip (I know, wrong country, but bear with me). I came across this absolutely twisted, stunted pine that looked like it had seen some serious sh*t. I remember thinking: This thing has been through ice ages. Obviously, it wasn’t Old Tjikko, but later I realized… maybe it was something similar. Something that’s been standing there quietly since humans first started scribbling symbols on cave walls.

It made me weirdly emotional. Like, here I am, a stressed-out human trying to escape emails for a weekend, and this tree has seen ten millennia just... existing.

So what does this tell us about life? (Sorry, got a bit deep)

Resilience is slow

These ancient trees survive not by growing fast or being flashy, but by enduring. They adapt, they clone, they stay low to the ground. I mean, Old Tjikko's not even tall—barely looks like a bush. But it’s outlived entire civilizations.

Makes you think, right?

Nature has patience we can't imagine

I don’t know about you, but I sometimes get anxious if my package is late by a day. Meanwhile, this tree just chilled through ice ages, climate shifts, wars, empires rising and falling... all without Wi-Fi.

Pfff. Kinda humbling.

Final thoughts: yes, there is a 9000-year-old tree (sort of)

So is there a 9000 year old tree? Yeah—kinda. If you accept the clonal definition, then absolutely yes. Old Tjikko is real, and it’s living proof that time doesn’t always mean decay. Sometimes, it means adaptation, quiet resilience, and roots that run unimaginably deep.

Next time someone tells you trees are boring, hit ’em with this. Or better yet, go visit one. Trust me, standing next to something that ancient? It’ll mess you up in the best possible way.

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