Meth junkie burns down 3,500 year old tree

[manaman]

I really, really hope they throw the book at her. That is a travesty. It's an INTERNATIONAL landmark, gone forever.

Hope it never leaves her conscience.

Eh, it was a Florida landmark. Old trees are not exactly rare in the US. Out of the 20 oldest trees known (non clonal) 17 are located in the US. There are far older clonal trees and clonal colonies. Such as a tree in Norway that is believed to have a root structure that has been growing for 9550 years, the tree growing above ground is no more the 150 years old and periodically dies off only to have the roots send up a new stem.

Plants more likely at the level of nation landmark:

Methuselah, a Bristlecone pine in California, is the oldest known non clonal organism at 4843 years old, there is a dendrochronology made from these trees that extends back 10,000 years.

Pando, a clonal colony Quaking Aspen in Utah, is currently the largest known organism. At 80,000+ years old the organism covers 106 acres and contains more than 47,000 trees. There exists another far larger colony of aspen that has yet to be verified.

King Clone, is the oldest known clonal colony Creosote Bush. Located in California this bush started growing roughly 11,700 years ago.

The namless Honey Mushroom in Oregon already mentioned several times in this thread possibly covers as much as 2,200 acres and if one organism estimates it's size put it close to the current top spot for biomass (Pando). It's age is estimated at 2400 years old. It has a relative in Washington State that possibly covers 1500 acres and is close to the same age.

 

[jakeblues69]

Hopefully during some jail time introspection this junkie realizes that the best path to a happy, healthy fulfilling life is suicide.

There's no way she would ever contribute more to this world than that tree would have.

 

[Angie7F]

such a sad sad way to be in the headlines...

 

[manaman]

The problem is you're not attempting to educate anyone. You are, by your own admission, just saying things and expecting me to take them at face value.

The fungi in Oregon is larger than Pando, and whether or not you consider it to be one organism or not is besides the point. Other people do and unless you can provide any definitive proof that they're wrong. Well I'm just going to be over here not giving a shit.

The ill deserved superior tone in your writing is pretty funny though, so there is that.

Why would you expect me to be educating people when I said I wasn't? That is just silly.

I never offered any proof because there is no definitive proof either way only evidence for or against. Through I maybe misunderstanding what you consider proof. Facts are not proof, nor are newspaper articles.

I shouldn't have to prove that something that is disputed among the scientific community is disputed, because that is exactly what that status means. There are people who believe the earth is flat, obviously the argument that people believe it therefor I have to prove to you that it isn't true is ridiculous. I'm not going to assume you are stupid, nor have I as yet. Which makes me wonder why you seem to be asking for proof of something that is disputed by people that study the subject for a living. Why would you expect someone who is not an expert to have answers experts don't? That is also just plain silly thinking.

Going off the assumption that you are not just plain stupid I have to wonder why you would be asking something so silly. Could it really be just a way of shielding yourself form approaching this with your critical thinking cap on? You place all the burden of disproving your claims on me. It's a tactic used to place the opponent in an argument on the defensive.

 

[Samurai Silhouette]

One tree burning getting more news coverage than entire forests going up in flames. Pathetic.