Oldest trees tell how to withstand harsh climate

Curiosity about the exact knowledge of temperature inside the trees revealed how can tree react to a sudden climate change not only in recent years but also in the past. A unique record of climate changes can be found in the oldest trees on Earth, Bristle cone pine or Foxtail pine or Pinus longaeva. These trees grow in Southwestern US, e.g. in California, where they can live as long as 5000 years. The frost action inside the trees copes with water saturated environment. The abundance of water requires the latent heat escaping from the tree when freezing. This heat gives trees an extra time for coping with changing temperature that plunges deep under the freezing.  Cells inside the tree increase their internal salinity, lowering the temperature of crystallization. Delaying time of freezing provides not only time for cells to do survival preparation, but also unique form of magnetic record inside tiny magnetic grains that are common natural part of these pines.