High among the cold, windswept peaks of America's mountain west, grow pine trees that are twisted and gnarled, hanging on to rocky, inhospitable slopes, yet living to the extraordinary age of almost 5,000-years old. These trees are bristlecone and foxtail pines. What are the trees' secrets-why do they live to such an advanced age? How do they develop such interesting shapes? What does the future hold for these ancients? These questions and more are answered in a new book by Mountain Press Publishing.
The Bristlecone Book: A Natural History of the World's Oldest Trees by Ronald M. Lanner, tells the fascinating stories of the trees of the Foxtail Pine group which includes the Great Basin bristlecone pine, the Rocky Mountain bristlecone pine, and the foxtail pine. Of the three closely-related pines, the Great Basin bristlecone plays a starring role in this volume because it is the longest lived, the most visited, and more is known about it. Inhabiting high rocky slopes of the mountain west in California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico, these trees do not die of old age-something, like fire, erosion, or pests, has to kill them.
This book is designed for people who want to go out and explore the trees and their habitat firsthand as well as those who simply want to learn more about these long-lived pines. With information describing the physiology of the trees, explaining the reasons for the trees' longevity, and threats to their continued existence, The Bristlecone Book: A Natural History of the World's Oldest Trees, reveals the inner mystery of these piney patricians.
