Prometheus and Methuselah

Prometheus was the name given to  the oldest tree on our planet-And we killed him!
Perhaps this tree was aptly named. In Greek mythology  Prometheus was horribly punished for giving fire to man.Chained to a rock and having his liver torn out every day by an eagle was no picnic. The Greek Prometheus was immortal, the Bristlecone Pine named Prometheus lived a long time and

was ultimately killed for being old looking, like he was on his last legs so to speak. (I hope this doesn't happen to any of us when we get old looking and people begin to suspect we might be on our last legs).

Now that I hopefully have your attention, I would like to share a couple of quotes that seem fitting.

"But these are foolish things to all the wise, and I love wisdom more than she loves me,

my tendency is to philosophise on most things, from a tyrant to a tree"- Lord Byron

"Yet each man kills the thing he loves"-Oscar Wilde

Methuselah

Bristlecone Pines (Pinus longaeva) grow in the arid mountains of six states in the U.S.,

stretching from California to Colorado. They seem to thrive in almost impossible conditions-

extreme altitude, scant soil and very little moisture. Perhaps this is the secret to their longevity-all things in moderation. In fact, the oldest trees are found in California at elevations of 10,000 to 11,000 feet.

Between 1954 and 1955, a student of dendrochronology (study of tree rings/events), Edward Schulman

 was studying Bristlecone Pines in the White Mountains, California.While taking core samples to determine tree ages, he discovered some very old Bristlecone Pines. He found one tree he knew to be at least 4,000
years old , a Bristlecone Pine he named Methuselah.

This tree was further studied and in 1957 was found to be 4,723 years old.

Prometheus

With the international attention focused on Methuselah in 1957, there was another area of the U.S with

old, massive Bristlecone Pines. Wheeler Peak, located on Nevada's eastern border, was home to

some colossal Bristlecone Pines. A local group established the Great Basin National Park Association.

They were trying to focus state and federal attention on what they knew were champion trees. They believed these trees were as old or older than the Pines in California. They had already named some of the larger, more interesting looking trees-"Buddha", "Socrates" and "Prometheus". 

In 1964, a young geography student named Donald Curry was working on a project toward his

doctorate. He was studying the movements of glaciers with an assistant when they stumbled upon

these very old Pines. Taking a core sample from one of the oldest, gnarliest looking trees, they discovered

how very old this tree was. As fate would have it, their coring tool broke. Excited to finish the  project,

and running out of time, they asked and actually  received permission from the U.S. Forest Service to cut this tree down! (The reasoning seem to be this was not the famous Methuselah grove and the tree looked rough-

old and gnarled, probably near death's door).

It was Prometheus. They cut down one of the oldest trees on the Earth.(Death by dumbass)
To put this in perspective, this  tree was a seedling when the Great Pyramids were being built

and was maturing when Jesus Christ walked the earth. 

Dendrochronologist Don Graybill later determined the exact age of Prometheus at 4,862 years.

Prometheus was older than Methuselah.

The following pictures  illustrate all that is left.

Here is the stump of Prometheus-Not a fitting tribute

Radial cuttings  of Prometheus at the University of Arizona-Dept. of  Dendrochronolgy

Fittingly,there is a legend that many believe to be true. There is a curse attached to people who cut or handle

the wood from Prometheus. Donald Curry, the man who cut down this tree, died very young. 

A U.S. Forest Service worker who was helping him died while moving the wood from Prometheus.

 Even Edmund Schulman, who discovered Methuselah, died at a young age.

 There have also been incidents/injuries with people  handling the wood from Prometheus.

What can we take from all of this?

Evidently, being named Prometheus seems to guarantee some sort of retribution by Gods or Man.

My warning to all-Do not name your trees or children Prometheus.Whatever their intentions, it will not turn out well.

Equally evident, if you are old and gnarly looking-watch out. People might think you are on your last legs and want to get rid of you, or the U.S. Forest Service may tell them it's o.k. to get rid of you.