Twisted and weather-beaten bristlecone pine trees cling to life in one of the harshest environments on Earth. High in the arid White Mountains bordering California and Nevada, these rare and rugged trees have been growing for about 4,500 years! Their annual growth rings have been studied to give a reasonable accurate idea of their history. Because of the hardiness of the bristlecone trees, it is fair to say they will likely go on living for thousands of years longer (barring any catastrophe that would remove them).
Why don't we find a grove of trees somewhere in the world dating back 8,000, 10,000 or 15,000 years? If trees like this have lived 4,500 years, they could have certainly lived longer. It's almost as though all these trees took root on a virgin Earth just 4,500 years ago! The Bible gives a clear historical record of the global Flood about 4,500 years ago. With all animal and plant life destroyed during this Flood, it stands to reason that the trees of greatest longevity would date back only to that time and no further.
From A Closer Look at the Evidence by Kleiss, November 4.
