The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

high in the White Mountains in Inyo County in eastern

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Geography

The forest is east of the

Owens Valley Owens Valley (Numic Numic is a branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family. It includes seven languages spoken by Native American peoples traditionally living in the Great Basin, Colorado River basin, Snake River basin, and southern Great Pl ...

, high on the eastern face of the White Mountains in the upper Fish Lake-Soda Spring

Watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

, above the northernmost reach of the

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily in ...

into

Great Basin The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic basin, endorheic watersheds, those with no outlets, in North America. It spans nearly all of Nevada, much of Utah, and portions of California, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and Baja California ...

ecotone An ecotone is a transition area between two biological communities, where two communities meet and integrate. It may be narrow or wide, and it may be local (the zone between a field and forest) or regional (the transition between forest and gras ...

. The forest's mountain

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

is in the Central Basin and Range ecoregion (EPA) and Taiga and Boreal forest ecoregion (WWF). The Patriarch Grove is the source of Cottonwood Creek, a designated

Wild and Scenic River The National Wild and Scenic Rivers System was created by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 (Public Law 90-542), enacted by the U.S. Congress to preserve certain rivers with outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values in a free- ...

Ecology

The Great Basin bristlecone pine (''Pinus longaeva'') trees grow between 9,800 and 11,000 feet (3,000–3,400 m) above sea level, in xeric alpine conditions, protected within the Inyo National Forest.Inyo N.F.-Bristlecone Forest
. accessed 8/30/2010NFS: Bristlecone Natural History
. accessed 8/30/2010 Limber pine (Pinus flexilis) also grow in the forest.

Methuselah

The Methuselah Grove in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is the location of the " Methuselah", a Great Basin bristlecone pine that is years old. It is considered to be the world's oldest known and confirmed living non- clonal organism. It was temporarily superseded by a 5,062 year old bristlecone pine discovered in 2010. In May 2017 however, Dr. Peter Brown removed this tree from his database of old trees because the tree and core sample could not be found. "Methuselah" is not marked in the forest, to ensure added protection from vandals.

Visiting

The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is generally open from mid-May through the end of November, weather permitting. *Schulman Grove and Schulman Grove Visitor Centerdaily interpretive talks and natural history lectures mid-June through Labor Day, and hiking trails. *Patriarch Grovehome of the world's largest bristlecone pine, the Patriarch Tree, and a self-guided nature trail.

Methuselah Grove trail

The Methuselah Grove trail starts from the visitor center at 9,846 feet and makes a 4.5-mile (7.2 km) loop that includes the side valley of the Methuselah Grove where the oldest tree lives, a high section looking out eastward over Nevada's basin-and-range region, and side trails to old mining sites. Numbered natural-history markers are explained by a booklet.

Fire

On September 4, 2008, an arsonist set fire to the Schulman Grove Visitor Center and several bristlecone pines. The building and all the exhibits within were destroyed. Activities to rebuild the center began the next day and are now complete.

References

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External links

{{commons and category
www.fs.usda.gov
– Inyo National Forest official Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest site
www.fs.usda.gov
– Inyo National Forest: The Natural History of the Bristlecone Pines Forests of California Inyo National Forest White Mountains (California) Taiga and boreal forests in the United States Protected areas of Inyo County, California Protected areas of the Great Basin Plant communities of California Pinus longaeva Pinus longaeva History of California Landmarks in California