How old do oak and birch trees live?

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:47

Many people who love to relax in nature, walk in the woods or just sit in the park, pay attention to the huge, tall trees. The most frequently asked question is how many years trees live. One of the most beautiful and mysterious are oak and birch groves. Passing by massive oaks or slender and tall birches, do you think how many years the trees live?

Mysterious Oak

Walking through the oak grove, you pay attention to the mystery of these trees. The question involuntarily arises in my head about how many years an oak tree lives. This is one of the most common trees in the northern hemisphere, belonging to the Beech family. There are legends about this mighty tree. Even in ancient Greece, oak groves were called the habitat of the goddess of fertility Demeter and noted the beneficial properties of oak.

For example, oak bark has astringent and anti-inflammatory properties and is used in folk medicine. Oak fruits - acorns - are rich in such a useful substance as quercetin, and are used to relieve swelling, inflammation, spasms, and also have excellent antioxidant properties. Oak is a very durable material, so itused in the manufacture of household furniture, wine barrels and various things of an artistic nature. Oak, like many other trees, has its own species. In total there are about 600 species of oaks. The most common are petiolate, serrated and rocky. Regardless of the species, the tree can reach a height of 20 to 40 meters, and a trunk circumference of up to 9 meters.

How old is an oak tree

Walking past old oaks, you wonder how many years trees with such powerful trunks live? The average life expectancy of an oak does not depend on the type of this tree and is 300 - 400 years. But rare cases are known when trees live up to 2000 years. So, for example, the Mamre oak, located in Palestine, is about 1900 years old. Christians consider it a holy tree. According to the Bible, the patriarch Abraham accepted God under this tree. Stelmuzh oak grows in Lithuania, it is considered the oldest oak tree in Europe, according to some sources, its age is 2000 years old.

Beautiful birch

Besides the oak, one of the most common trees in the northern hemisphere is the birch. It belongs to the deciduous genus, the Birch family. It occupies one of the first places in beauty, its graceful white trunk attracts with its stream of outgoing light. Birch occupies a special place in the culture of the Slavic, Finnish and Scandinavian ancient tribes. So, for example, among the Slavs, this tree protects and protects from evil spirits. Birch is famous not only for its beauty, but also for its benefits, as well asmedicinal properties. Birch sap, which is harvested in early spring, has a large amount of minerals and is good for humans. Birch buds contain a large amount of essential oil, so they are used as a diaphoretic and blood purifier. Birch is the main raw material for producing charcoal, which is used in everyday life, in addition, durable wood is obtained from birch. In total, about 120 species of birches are known. The most common is the downy birch, in addition, yellow and weeping are often found. These species reach an average of 25 - 30 meters in height and up to 80 centimeters in diameter. Walking through a birch grove and admiring such beauties, one involuntarily wonders how many years trees live?

How many years do birches live

This type of tree grows in almost all regions of the northern hemisphere, and therefore it is important to know how many years trees live. Birch, unlike oak, lives as long as it is prescribed by a certain species. The average life expectancy of the fluffy and weeping is about 100 years. In turn, the life span of yellow birch reaches 150 years.