I have no clue where the author of this article is pulling the fact that this tree is the oldest in Europe. I was just in Croatia on the Island of Pag a few months ago, standing in front of an Olive tree [1][2] that is 400+ years older than this tree:
Either the Croatians lied to me (and the internet, and the world) or this article is just completely invalid
I am convinced that superlative trees are cursed. The oldest tree in the world was killed while being dated (a core sample killed it). The most isolated tree in the world was hit by a drunk driver. The (2nd?) largest tree in the world was set on fire by a couple people smoking meth; and in the same forest, a super rare Chimera Albino Redwood was slated to be destroyed because it was in the path of a proposed railway.
They are cursed simply because they are rare, and hence sought after.
The idiot who destroyed the oldest tree, did so because he was trying to find the oldest tree, for career progression, even if it meant destroying other trees in which he happened to get stuck all his expensive core tools.
Ironically, it was the oldest tree which ended up being said tree.
I hazard to guess that the meth user, chose to sit under the largest tree, because , it was well known to be the largest. Unfortunately, there was also a small confined fence around it.
Ironically forcing whoever wanted to sit next to it to be jammed up against it. They were probably a tree lover, and then disaster struck as it always does.
I also speculate the most isolated tree was hit by a truck because it was, the most isolated tree.
They just found a car crashed into it. It was probably a man who knew about the tree, drove hours to go look at it, and then for novelty drove into it and then left the scene.
In all cases it was a matter of time. Only better thought out protocols and investment are needed.
Simply, a wall, would have protected the last 2, ( even 3 - if you included platos olive tree ). For the first one, more investment into protocol.
Funnily enough I would think it would only require pocket change from a philanthropist to protect the handful of record breaking organisms left on the planet, if they were smart.
It's not the oldest tree I've heard of, but the article describes it as the oldest in Europe. What makes other cadidates for oldest tree not count, and is there some political significance to the combined type, age, and location of the tree?
You use an increment borer, basically a long drill bit that has a hollow tube in the center so that you can extract a core from the tree trunk. Once you have the sample you affix it to a wooden board and sand it flat on one side so you can count the rings.
IANA botanist, but I think this method doesn't work on some trees (i.e. millennia-old olive trees) because old tissue is not there anymore, or because they have messed up rings, or on trees that have multiple trunks.
So IIUC they integrate carbon dating, ratio between total size and growth rate and other things.
Either the Croatians lied to me (and the internet, and the world) or this article is just completely invalid
[1] http://www.autocampdrazica.com/en/island-pag-novalja-lun-s5....
[2] https://secretdalmatia.wordpress.com/2010/10/31/olive-trees-...