Alerce Milenario (Alerce)

Alerce Milenario (Alerce)

Gran Abuelo

Great-Grandfather

Tree, flora, oldest tree, organism

Alerce Milenario, also known as Gran Abuelo or Great-Grandfather in English, is an Alerce (Fitzroya cupressoides) tree determined to be both the oldest and largest tree in Alerce Costero National Park, Chile.

While Alerce Milenario is known to be very old, its exact age has not been confirmed by dendrochronology. Boring efforts carried out in 2020 by researchers Jonathan Barichivich and Antonio Lara of the Austral University of Chile yielded evidence of 2400 growth rings. While the tree could not safely be bored further, they were able to estimate - with 80% accuracy - a total of approximately 5000 growth rings. If confirmed, this would make Alerce Milenaro older than Methuselah. The Rocky-Mountain Tree Ring Research database asserts that, when originally crossdated by "Lara and Villalba" in 1993, the tree was estimated to be 3622.

According to Barichivich only 28% percent of Alerce Milenario is alive, most of which is its roots. This means that the national park's 10,000 yearly visitors are damaging the tree by walking over its roots every time they visit it. Activists in Chile hope that confirming the tree's advanced age will incentivize the Chilean government to better protect it from damage. As of 2025, Chile's National Forest Corporation has worked to increase protections for Alerce Milenaro, including adding extra rangers to the area.

Age unconfirmed. Estimated age 3600-5000+.

Under custodianship of Chile's National Forest Corporation.

Fitzroya cupressoides. 4 metres across, other dimensions unknown.

Physical object, Fitzroya cupressoides, tree.

Alerce Costero National Park, Los Ríos Region, Chile. Co-ordinates not listed.