How trees stay alive for thousands of years by making their own food out of sunlight, getting the nutrients they need out of the ground, as well as having the ability to reproduce on their own by means of the falling leaves and branches. May well be one of the greatest wonders of nature. This is one of the reasons people in ancient times looked upon them with such awe and worship.
Below are 4 of the most sacred and iconic trees that are absolutely worthy to be adored and treasured by anyone. Not only do they represent a great part of most cultures’ history, each and every one of these sacred trees are older than any human that has ever walked the earth. This only adds to what makes them so precious and mysterious.
1. Burke & Wills Dig Tree, Australia
Located on the northern bank of Coopers Creek in outback Queensland, this unassuming Coolibah tree is arguably the most famous in Australia. It was here that a base camp was set up as part of Robert O’Hara Burke and John Wills' ill-fated expedition to the Gulf of Carpentaria, a camp that was abandoned just hours before Burke and Wills returned. Before the camp was abandoned, provisions were buried in the remote chance of Burke and Wills returning, and instructions about where to dig were carved into the trunk of the tree. These instructions have been covered to protect the tree, but apart from the boardwalk built around the tree, the site is how Burke and Wills would have viewed it nearly 140 years ago.
2. Major Oak, England
What a history this giant oak tree has had. Robin Hood is believed to have taken shelter inside its hollow trunk, as did prize-fighting cockerels in the mid-18th century. It was crowned England’s ‘Tree of the Year’ in 2014 after a popular vote held by the Woodland Trust. Estimated to be between 800 and 1,000 years old, the tree stands in the heart of Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire. It was christened Major Oak after Major Hayman Rooke, an antiquarian who included the tree in a popular book about the oaks of Sherwood Forest (the book was published in 1790). The tree may in fact be several saplings that fused together, and since Victorian times its massive limbs have been supported by elaborate scaffolding.
3. Methuselah, USA
Tucked away in a bristlecone pine forest in the White Mountains of California, this gnarled tree is not quite as old as time itself, but at the ripe old age of 4,849 years old it is the oldest non-clonal tree in the world. Methuselah is but one of many ancient bristlecone pines growing in the mountains here – indeed, in 2012 scientists tested another one in the area that may be even older. But, like many old trees, its location is a closely guarded secret.
4. El Arbol Del Tule, Mexico
This Montezuma bald cypress in El Tule, Oaxaca, is believed to be the stoutest tree in the world with a staggering girth of over 35 metres. It takes 17 people, holding hands with outstretched arms, to give the tree a hug. A local Zapotec legend claims it was planted by the Aztec God of wind, Pecocha. The tree is also notable for its extremely broad crown. Scientists estimate that its branches extend the length of two tennis courts. Sadly, the tree is not in the best of health, with its roots damaged by water shortages and the impact of cars on a nearby highway.
