Cedar Breaks National Monument National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior
Bristlecone Pines “On the roughest ledges of crumbling limestone are lowly old giants, five or six feet in diameter that have braved the storms of more than a thousand years. But whether old or young, sheltered or exposed to the wildest gales, this tree is ever found to be irrepressibly and extravagantly picturesque, offering a richer and more varied series of forms to the artist than any other species I have yet seen.”
~ John Muir
One autumn day in the year Middle-age comes in a few has exposed its main roots. The living 336 AD a great basin bristlecone hundred years. This is the time roots move water up the trunk above pine seed lands in just the right when our tree is most productive. them, allowing sections of the tree to place to begin life. Seed and pollen cones are produced live. Unbelievably, our ancient tree on the many intertwined branches. continues to produce cones. As the years go by, our seedling Yet, this is when our tree begins to grows in height and its stem show its age. Limbs and trunks die Thriving at high elevations where thickens. Single needles are and become bleached and cracked. conditions are harsh and windy; replaced by those growing in Fire, lightning, beetles, ants, nutrients are sparse; and ultraviolet bunches of five. As our infant porcupines, and fungi take their toll. light is intense. In these conditions tree enters its youth, it struggles our tree grows old, even ancient. to find its place. Roots search out Over a thousand years later, our water and nutrients while the main tree has reached old age. It has So is the life of a bristlecone pine. stem rapidly reaches for the sun. withstood the ravages of wind, ice, These trees will die of something, Branches are flexible to withstand sun, and other insults. Most of our but it will not be old age. the strong winds and snow. tree is no longer alive. Soil erosion
Bristlecones are part of the Bristlecone Pine Range group known as foxtail Needles and Cones pines. Three species are found in the western states at high elevations.
The Foxtail Pine (Pinus balfouriana) grows in Oregon and California.
The Great Basin Bristlecone (Pinus longaeva) can be seen in California, Nevada and Utah, including Cedar As the name suggests, there are small bristles Breaks. on the ends of each cone scale.
Rocky Mountain Needles of the bristlecone pines are short (0.5- Bristlecone 1.5 in), sharp, deep green, and grow in bundles (Pinus aristata) is found in of five. Their needles attach all the way up central and south-central and around the limb, making them look like Colorado, northern New foxtails. Unlike most pines where needles are Mexico and Arizona. replaced every two to three years, Bristlecones retain their needles for thirty to forty years.
• Bristlecones average On Borrowed Time? 45-60 feet in height. A Word From Our Trees
• Young trees put out a main shoot, • Bristlecones grow For many, it is a humbling experience capturing what sunlight they can. Please respect me. Remember me with a where other trees cannot. • As the tree grows more stems are added to walk among these ancient trees. • High elevation, cold temperatures, photograph rather than a piece of my wood. and the crown widens. extreme winds, short growing seasons, and It is no wonder they have been given • In advanced age, wind and frost will have nutrient poor, dolomite biblical names such as “Methuselah”, and broken the tops. Lesser branches twine around The genes that have enabled me to live for soils kill most other the bare ragged snags, giving each tree a centuries are in each seed in every cone I “Prometheus”. Even a nearly 1,700 year old competing trees. unique, gnarled shape. • Energy goes into produce. Please do not take one. Maybe bristlecone pine at Cedar Breaks was given • Rot causing • Blowing soil, rocks, and surviving, fungus, grows one will have what it takes to survive the the name “Old Patriarch” by early settlers. ice age and burnish the instead more slowly changing climate. Rather, take in the rich dead wood to varying of growing in this harsh aroma of my foliage. golden hues. large. Fossil evidence suggests the ancestors to • Growth is slow environment. today’s trees have been living on western with as little as one Beetles have scarred my trunk and mountains for more than 40 million inch being added to its girth in a branches; leaving your initials may be the hundred years. final insult I can withstand. If you stay on years. As the glaciers retreated the trees • Slow growth produces denser, resin-rich followed and are now found only in higher wood which makes the tree less susceptible the trails you will lessen the erosive forces elevations. The slow passage of time has to insect invasion, disease, and rot. around my roots. allowed these trees to evolve and thrive in • There is no taproot so lateral roots spread out, seeking Leave me as I am, so perhaps your harsh environments. moisture and children’s children can also admire me. nutrients in the Roots serve as With the rise in temperature these trees soil and in cracks lifelines in another way... of rocks. Faster growth • Boulders serve as anchors that are facing new challenges. the roots wrap themselves around. due to higher temperatures could make • The death of a major root does not bristlecones more susceptible to fungal and cause the death of the entire tree. insect damage. Bark beetles and rust fungi, Rather, roots feed only the section of the trunk and branches above. which are not normally a problem at cool, • This growth pattern is called sectored high elevations, could begin to affect these • The oldest Bristlecones architecture. It is not unusual to see are often widely spaced pines. The risk of fire may also increase. a twisted old bristlecone with only a in areas with little ground narrow section of living bark bearing cover, reducing the branches and masses Because bristlecones already occupy the threat from of needles. wildfires. highest elevation, will the seeds they shed in autumn find a favorable place to call home? The details in this brochure and more can be found in "The Bristlecone Book: A Natural History of the World's Oldest Trees" by Ronald M. Lanner
Cedar Breaks: Spectra Point Overlook is Bristlecone Walking Trail: One mile Twisted Forest: A one mile round trip Where to home to the park’s oldest trees; younger west of the intersection of Highway 148 with trail in the Ashdown Gorge Wilderness. bristlecone pines can be seen along the Highway 14. Operated by the Forest Service, The trailhead is located four miles down the Find Them? Alpine Pond Trail, near the Chessman Ridge this 0.75 mile loop trail will take you to Bear Flat/Sugarloaf Mountain road (204 > Overlook. several Bristlecones and a viewing platform. 265 > 964) Off of State Route 143.