SCORCHED EARTH

2,000-Year-Old Tree in Direct Path of California Wildfire

Some estimates put the Bennett Juniper as the oldest living tree in the world.

A 2,000-year-old Juniper tree is in the direct path of one of the California wildfires, The Mercury News reports. The 82-foot-tall Bennett Juniper is in the direct path of the Donnell Fire’s southern edge in the Sierra Nevadas, and firefighters are working to stop the blaze’s growth before it hits the tree and “nearby structures in the Stanislaus National Forest.” According to the Save the Redwoods League, some botanists believe the Bennett Juniper may be as much as 6,000 years old, which would make it the oldest living tree in the world. The fire has consumed 44 square miles thus far, and it is only 20 percent contained. The news comes as California’s Mendocino Complex Fire was named the largest in the state’s history, burning 513 square miles thus far and destroying 139 homes.