Species lifespans

[Treeaddict]

Thought it may be fun and informative to compile a list of common species in our area with their longevity. I have it in my phone for quick reference. Some of the numbers surprised me. Both very long and very short. What I have so far.

 

[lxskllr]

Black locust 75yr

 

[Treeaddict]

Thanks John! Added to the list. If I had to wager a guess on that species, it would have been 150. Again, surprised.

 

[stig]

Well, you hit it pretty close on the Norway spruce.
Like, only a bit over 9000 years off.

Old Tjikko - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Treeaddict]

That’s an amazing specimen. That actual tree (trunk and canopy) is nowhere near the 9000 years though. Yeah those costal trees in extreme wind don’t reflect their age by size, do they? I don’t think I’d be working on anything like that in my neck of the woods.

 

[flushcut]

How do you know? I have a few 1 1/4” diameter hickory specimens in the 40-56 year old range. I also have an oak “sapling” that is about three inches in diameter that is 84 years old. Another arb specimen about six inches in diameter that is 67 years old. Size is deceiving in relation to a trees age. I have removed many trees that are exceptionally older than I thought.

 

[lxskllr]

That's really interesting. I knew size/age could be variable, but not so extreme in "normal" climates.

 

[flushcut]

I have pics posted here somewhere.

 

[Treeaddict]

I wouldn’t have expected that either! I bet that hickory was as strong as a steel pole.

 

[Mesquite]

Quote from the link above

"The age of the tree was determined by carbon dating of genetically matched plant material collected from under the tree"

 

[treebilly]

I seem to find the opposite. Today for instance the property owner was saying it was a shame to cut down the 250 year old pin oak in the devil strip. I just commented “ yeah, what’s even more of a shame is all the hard work the founding fathers of this country did to perfectly plant this entire area with them so precisely positioned that the street and sidewalk installed 175 years later fit perfectly and we are ruining it”
Old growth specimens supposedly exist in Ohio but are few and far between since it was pretty much clear cut way back when. I’d venture to say most of the trees I remove are less than 125 years old

 

[flushcut]

You need to work some woods once and a while. Lol

 

[CurSedVoyce]

It's our story here too Rich. I can find pictures of Mariposa about devoid of trees. Most got cut down for mining. Shoring, housing, steam engines and stamp mills. Yet everyone that moves in think their trees are older than dust. With few exceptions here and there, you have to get into protectedc land to see any real old ones. Most here are less than 100 or so years old save some prize specimens. Anything older was just a sapling that got ignored.