How old is the oldest redwood tree in the world?

Muir Snag is believed to be the oldest redwood tree in the world. Muir Snag is estimated to be more than 3,500 years old, but is no longer living. Although the tree is dead, it is still standing in the Converse Basin of the Giant Sequoia National Monument in Sierra Nevada, California.



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The earliest redwoods showed up on Earth shortly after the dinosaurs – before flowers, birds, spiders… and, of course, humans. Redwoods have been around for about 240 million years 2, and in California for at least 20 million years, compared to about 200,000 years for “modern” humans 3.

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Visit our restoration webpages to learn more about this exciting work. How many acres of old-growth forest are left? Fewer than 120,000 acres, or 5 percent, of the original redwood forest remains today.

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There is evidence of Tyrannosaurus rex activity near redwoods as well. No animals have been seen feeding on these trees yet, and the trees are likely too large to be significantly damaged by any other than the very largest dinosaurs.

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Coast redwoods can live longer than 2,000 years. A mature redwood forest is composed of trees 500-1,000 years old on average. The trees in this redwood grove are approximately 65 years old. Coast redwoods can grow three to ten feet per year.

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North Coast, Humboldt County, California Just south, this California coastal area is often called Redwood Country thanks to its thriving forests. The area is home to 45 percent of the remaining old-growth redwoods in California, and Redwood National and State Parks shelters some of the tallest trees on Earth.

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As its nickname suggests, giant or coastal redwoods thrive in the moist, humid climate of the Northern California coast, where marine fog delivers precise conditions necessary for its growth. The fog adds moisture to the soil and helps trap it there by lowering the rate of evaporation.

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