As of 2026, the oldest confirmed living tree in the world is Methuselah, a Great Basin bristlecone pine located in the White Mountains of California, which is approximately 4,858 years old (having been roughly 4,855 in 2023). Methuselah's exact location is kept secret by the U.S. Forest Service to protect it from vandalism and environmental damage. There is ongoing debate about an unnamed bristlecone pine in the same area that may be over 5,000 years old, and a Patagonian cypress in Chile known as Alerce Milenario (or Gran Abuelo) which some researchers estimate could be over 5,400 years old based on computer modeling, though this age has not been universally scientifically verified through core ring counting. Regardless of the specific winner, these ancient organisms have lived through the entire span of recorded human civilization, surviving in harsh, high-altitude environments where slow growth and high resin content protect them from pests and rot.