Bristlecone

The bristlecone pine is the longest-living thing on Earth.

Researchers say warmer weather is permitting a similar kind of tree, the limber pine, to take over good growing places from the ancient bristlecone. They say the tree is being crowded out of mountainous areas where it grows.

The bristlecone pine is the oldest individually growing organism.

Bristlecone pines grow in high mountain forests in eastern California, Nevada and Utah.

Experts have named the oldest known bristlecone pine "Methuselah." It is somewhere in the White Mountains of California. But it is not marked in any special way, so that people do not try to damage it.

The limber pine is the bristlecone’s distant relative and competitor. It also can live a long time – up to 2,000 years. It is found at lower elevations, where temperatures are warmer.