Europe’s oldest tree has been standing for an incredible 1,647 years.
The tree is a small common juniper which is growing in the Finnish Lapland.
It has been standing since the Roman Empire and it might be surprising to some that the tree is not a huge towering oak or pine.
In fact, its trunk measures at just 10 centimetres in diameter, but its year of birth makes this tree stand out.
Scientists have researched the tree and found it is not only the oldest in Europe but the first to have been standing in the Roman Empire.
The tree has been standing since 378AD and has survived despite the odds.
Researchers at the University of Padua, including Marco Carrer, a forest ecologist from the Department of Agroforestry Systems made the discovery.
He said: “From today, this record also becomes that of being the world’s oldest shrub.”
Before this, Europe’s oldest tree was thought to be held by a plant which was only 1,200 years old.
This makes it nearly 500 years younger than the juniper.
Trees are a plant which are known to last for a very long time but usually these trees are often much bigger than the small juniper.
Researchers have been particularly interested in the tree due to the fact that it has survived despite not being the most robust of species.
Over the years, it will have fought off the odds such as extreme weather, lack of nutrients, climate changes and turbulent weather conditions.
Researchers were able to investigate how long the tree has been there for by using advanced technology.
Angela Luisa Prendin, co-author of the study, said: “We studied the wood rings to extract valuable information about climate change and vegetation development.”
The rings on the wood allow scientists to determine the lifespan of the tree and understand more about the circumstances it has endured.
