Florida's 3,500-year-old bald cypress burns down

[kcpoole]

One of the oldest trees in the world burnt down due to what they think is a lightning strike.

Located in a Park in Florida, the Bald Cypress was 3,500 years old a the time of its demise

Known as “The Senator,” or simply “The Big Tree,” the hollowed-out majestic timber, standing at 118 feet tall, ignited before dawn. Fire-fighters watched helplessly as the oldest tree east of the Mississippi — and the fifth oldest in the world — blazed and then collapsed in a heap of flaming embers.

Sad to see

This link the the article has some info on the other oldest trees, http://www.thedaily.com/page/2012/01/17 ... -fire-1-3/
and another article is here http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/201 ... in-florida

Ken

[kcpoole]

Just found this site here that describes the top 10 oldest trees and has some great photos of them

http://planetoddity.com/the-oldest-and- ... the-world/

Ken

[bodhidharma]

Thanks for that Ken. I am sure there should be an old eucalypt in there somewhere or have we chopped them all down

[AndrewC]

Despite the impressive size of some eucalypts, they are not actually very long-lived. The Mountain Ash will senesce and make way for longer-lived species like southern beech, unless they get a regenerative fire, in about 450-600 years. Huon Pine in Tasmania are one of Australia's oldest living trees, with some over 1000 years.

[Tony Bebb]

You should see some of the Antartic Beech in Lamington National Park. Around 1500 but I have heard some are supposed to be up to 5000.
Either way, awesome in the bark. Some of the boxwoods in the valley of the 'Ships Stern' walk are mighty impressive also because they were inaccesible during the logging period. Have to go back there with a camera one day.

Shame to see the old girl perish Ken. Thanks for the post. Nice link for the top ten too.

Tony

[Paul B]

http://www.nuccaleenacottage.com.au/blo ... -gum-tree/
by all means not in the same league as the bald cypress, but this is a beauty to see in the flesh