Accidental Felling of the World’s Oldest Tree

Prometheus, a Great Basin Bristlecone Pine (Pinus longaeva), is one of the oldest known living organisms in the world. Its story is considered one of the most tragic accidents in the scientific world. Here’s what happened in 1964 at Wheeler Peak in Nevada:

How Was It Cut?

The felling of Prometheus was the result of an “accident” and lack of communication:

1. Research: Donald R. Currey, a young geography graduate student, needed tree rings to study Ice Age climate changes.
2. Misfortune: Currey broke the special drill (increment borer) he used to take ring samples inside the tree. When the drill got stuck, he couldn’t remove it without damaging the tree.
3. Permission: Currey asked the local Forest Service for help and, interestingly, received permission to cut the tree completely to examine its cross-section. At the time, no one was aware of how old this tree was.
4. Result: The tree was cut, and when Currey started counting the rings, the bitter truth emerged: The tree was exactly 4,844 years old.

Effects of the Incident

This event became a major turning point in the history of nature conservation:

1. Age Record: When Prometheus was cut, it was the oldest known tree in the world (Currently, the record is held by “Methuselah,” a tree of the same species whose location is kept secret).
2. Conservation Laws: This tragedy spearheaded the enactment of much stricter laws for the protection of ancient trees and the establishment of Great Basin National Park.
3. Scientific Data: Cross-sections taken from the felled trunk are exhibited today in various museums and laboratories.

Why Was Prometheus Cut? (An Irreversible Mistake)

The tragedy of the Prometheus tree stemmed from the effort to “reach the rings“:

1. Borer Method Insufficient: Normally, scientists do not cut trees; they use a thin, drill-like tool called an increment borer to penetrate the tree and extract a pencil-thick core sample. The rings on this sample are counted, and the tree continues to live.
2. Tool Broke: Donald Currey‘s borer got stuck and broke in the very hard and dense wood of Prometheus.
3. Desire to Count Rings: Currey wanted to prove the climate history of that region (periods like the Little Ice Age) with precise data. When he couldn’t remove the broken tool and couldn’t obtain sufficient samples with the technology of the time, he obtained a “cutting for examination” permit from the Forest Service.
4. Result: When the cross-section (slice) was taken to the laboratory and counted under a microscope, it was understood that the tree was 4,844 years old. Thus, Currey destroyed the oldest known living organism to date for the sake of one year’s data.