Ancient Bristlecone Pine Tree White Mountains, CA

Standing as ancient sentinels high atop the White Mountains of the Inyo National Forest, the Great Basin Bristlecone Pines rank as the oldest trees in the world and have achieved immense scientific, cultural and scenic importance. While the oldest trees are found in the mountains of Eastern California, Great Basin Bristlecone Pine (Pinus longaeva) are scattered throughout the high mountain regions of Nevada and to a lesser extent, Utah. A cousin, the Rocky Mountain Bristlecone Pine (Pinus aristata), is located throughout the eastern Rocky Mountain region in Colorado and New Mexico. An isolated population of the aristata is also located near Flagstaff, Arizona. A third member of the bristlecone pine family, the Sierra Foxtail pine (Pinus balfouriana) is located in the southern Sierra range and in isolated groves in northern California.