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In Defense of Plants Podcast

Ep. 338 - How Old are the Oldest Trees?

In Defense of Plants Podcast

In Defense of Plants

Science & Medicine, Natural Sciences

4.81.2K Ratings

🗓️ 10 October 2021

⏱️ 53 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

How long can a tree live? How old are the oldest trees? The answers to questions like these are more nuanced that some might think. We sit down with curator of the Gymnosperm Database, Dr. Chris Earle, for some insights on tree longevity. This episode was produced in part by Lor, Monika, Brandon, Jeremy, Suzanne, Kristina, Christine, Silas, Michael, Aristia, Felicidad, Lauren, Danielle, Allie, Jeffrey, Amanda, Tommy, Marcel, C Leigh, Karma, Shelby, Christopher, Alvin, Arek, Chellie, Dani, Paul, Dani, Tara, Elly, Colleen, Natalie, Nathan, Ario, Laura, Cari, Margaret, Mary, Connor, Nathan, Jan, Jerome, Brian, Azomonas, Ellie, University Greens, Joseph, Melody, Patricia, Matthew, Garrett, John, Ashley, Cathrine, Melvin, OrangeJulian, Porter, Jules, Griff, Joan, Megan, Marabeth, Les, Ali, Southside Plants, Keiko, Robert, Bryce, Wilma, Amanda, Helen, Mikey, Michelle, German, Joerg, Cathy, Tate, Steve, Kae, Carole, Mr. Keith Santner, Lynn, Aaron, Sara, Kenned, Brett, Jocelyn, Ethan, Sheryl, Runaway Goldfish, Ryan, Chris, Alana, Rachel, Joanna, Lori, Paul, Griff, Matthew, Bobby, Vaibhav, Steven, Joseph, Brandon, Liam, Hall, Jared, Brandon, Christina, Carly, Kazys, Stephen, Katherine, Mohsin Kazmi Takes Pictures, Manny, doeg, Daniel, Tim, Philip, Tim, Lisa, Brodie, Bendix, Irene, holly, Sara, and Margie.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Indefensive plants is made possible by all of our wonderful patrons that support the podcast

0:04.0

each and every month over at patreon.com slash indefensive plants.

0:08.0

Their monthly contributions ensure that indefensive plants can continue to bring you

0:11.4

amazing botanical and ecological conversations each and every week.

0:15.6

If you are enjoying this podcast and want to help make free science communication possible,

0:19.6

consider becoming a patron. By supporting the show, you will receive wonderful kickbacks

0:23.8

like stickers, producer credits, and access to multiple mini bonus episodes each month.

0:28.6

Consider becoming a patron today and help spread the love of plants around the globe.

0:59.1

But as you are going to hear today, the age of a plant is not as straightforward and understandable

1:05.6

as it is for say something like an animal. It is actually kind of a grey area in most cases,

1:11.1

and it all comes down to the fact that plants are fundamentally different types of organisms

1:16.3

than animals are. Joining us to talk about this is Dr. Chris Earl. He is particularly

1:21.5

interested in biodiversity, but today he is here to talk to us about trying to understand

1:26.7

plant age. You may be familiar with Dr. Earl's work on the Jim Nusperm database over at

1:31.9

conifers.org and I absolutely love the articles he has over there, all of the great information,

1:37.6

and I couldn't think of a better person to sit down and talk with about this topic.

1:40.7

So let's just jump right into it without further ado. Here's my conversation with Dr. Chris Earl.

1:45.6

I hope you enjoy.

1:57.5

All right, Dr. Chris Earl, it is great to have you on the podcast. I'm a huge fan of your work.

2:04.9

Let's start off by telling everyone a little bit about who you are and what it is you do.

2:10.0

Okay, I'm here mainly because I have a website at conifers.org or

2:14.9

or gorg called the Jim Nusperm database that I started back in the late 1990s and has been online

...

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