Botany: Life span of a tree.

Question

Trees and other plant life as well. Assuming a tree has the sunlight, water, and carbon it needs to survive, then could a tree live indefinitely assuming no catastrophic event? Or would the tree succumb to "old age" like organisms of the animal kingdom?

Answer 1

A tree's 'old age' death is when its roots can't support it any more, its wood isn't strong enough to hold it up or it can no longer grow leaves/needles.

Sooner or later, most trees will be weakened and fall over by the years of strong winds, rain, lightning, fire, ect. They don't live long after this.

Answer 2

The oldest of the trees, bristle cone pine (7,000 years?) and the giant redwoods (3500 years) can survive for thousands of years.  Since the living parts of the tree are relatively young (just a few years old) trees has the distinction of long durability rather than all its living cells living for thousands of years.  In comparison, Galapagos turtles have cells that are at least 200+ years old.

Most "old" trees are susceptible to fire, lightning strikes, damage due to high winds, fungal rot, and the like that ends their lives.  Most trees have indeterminate growth and continue to grow as long as the conditions are adequate to sustain live.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristlecone...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoiadend...