Pine is a tree familiar to every resident of Russia. The coniferous beauty is often planted in summer cottages and on city streets; it is customary to dress it up for the New Year holidays. But if we take a closer look, we know very little about this amazing tree. Not everyone can answer questions about how long pine trees live, how to determine their age, and what types of trees are found in our country.
How long does a tree usually live?
The most common type of pine in Russia is Scots pine.This is an evergreen tree, reaching 40-50 meters in height, with dense, hard green-brown needles. The needles are slightly curved and arranged in pairs in bundles. The needles stay on the branch from 3 to 8 years, depending on favorable conditions. The bark of a young plant is reddish and smooth; with age, it acquires a gray tint at the base, towards the top, the color changes to reddish.
The crown of young green beauties resembles a cone; with age, it becomes spherical. The lifespan of a tree is from 100 to 500 years; there are 800-year-old specimens. On average, pine lives 200-300 years. Older plants are found in nature reserves and reserves where human activity is not too pronounced.
The active growth phase of a tree is 40 years. For the first 5 years, the annual growth is 10 centimeters. Further growth accelerates, it grows by 30-40 centimeters. A pine tree older than 10 years can grow 1 meter per year. After 40 years, the growth rate slows down, the plant’s strength is spent on thickening the trunk and spreading the crown.
Pine is an unpretentious plant; it can survive in the most extreme conditions, but for better growth and development it needs sunny areas. Young pines do not tolerate drought well. A 3-5 year old seedling can die from cold if temperatures are too low.
What factors influence life expectancy
The lifespan of a pine tree depends on several factors. The type of plant, soil type, and growth rate are taken into account. In areas with long frosty winters and short summers, it grows more slowly, which increases its lifespan. Life expectancy is affected by forest fires, hurricanes, floods, and drought.
But the main enemy of wild trees is man. Uncontrolled deforestation, fires caused by human negligence, heavy equipment appearing in the forest and damaging tree roots, all this negatively affects the life expectancy of pine trees. Mature trees rarely die from attacks by insect pests, but they are dangerous for young pines.
Another factor on which the lifespan of a plant depends is the groundwater level. If it is higher than 2 meters, the pine root system will suffer. Such a specimen will not become a long-liver.
Ways to determine the age of a tree
The most accurate way to determine the age of a pine tree is by looking at the annual rings of the trunk. But to do this you will have to cut down the plant. There are easier ways:
- The circumference of the trunk is measured 1.5 meters from the ground, then the diameter is calculated. The trunk thickness is divided by 3.14. The result obtained is divided by the annual growth of the tree. For pine this coefficient is 0.7. The result obtained is the approximate age of the tree.
- By whorls. Whorls are fan-shaped shoots that form every year. The number of whorls on a pine tree is counted; 3 is added to the result, since the first whorl is formed at the age of 3 years.
- You can approximately determine the age by the height of the green giant. The growth rate per year will be different (depending on the soil, weather conditions, amount of sunlight).
- An old or young plant can be easily recognized by the color of the bark. Young specimens have smooth reddish bark. With age, it acquires a gray tint and becomes covered with deep longitudinal wrinkles.
- Using a drill. A piece of wood no thicker than a pencil is drilled into the trunk with a tool. Age is calculated using tree rings.This method does not cause harm; the abundantly flowing resin will heal the damage.
The width and shape of the crown, as well as the thickness of the trunk, provide approximate information about the age. After a phase of active growth (40-50 years), Scots pine stops growing upward. All resources are spent on thickening the trunk, the crown takes on a rounded shape.
Lifetime record holders
Pine is the oldest tree on Earth. The long-living record holder received his own name - Methuselah, in honor of the biblical ancestor. This is a bristlecone pine native to California. The established lifespan of the giant is 4850 years, this is proven by carbon analysis of the wood. The location of the plant is kept secret to avoid an influx of tourists.
In Russia there is a register of old-growth trees; specimens older than 200 years are listed there. All of them are under state protection.
