Oldest known beech tree in Czechia found by chance in the Beskydy Mountains
The oldest known beech tree in Czechia has been identified in the Beskydy Mountains near the country's border with Slovakia. Researchers have determined the tree to be 492 years old, meaning it must have taken root in the early 16th century.
The tree was discovered near the village of Velké Karlovice by a team from the Research Institute for Landscape and Ornamental Gardening. The find came as a surprise, as the scientists had been carrying out an entirely different study, explains the head of the research team, forest ecologist Pavel Šamonil.
"We were studying how individual trees help stabilize slopes and prevent soil erosion. We selected this tree simply because it seemed like a suitable candidate, and when we took a core sample to determine its age, we discovered, completely by chance, that it was almost 500 years old."
With a trunk circumference of around 8.5 metres, the beech is an impressive sight, and its size suggested it was unusually old. But size alone can't reveal a tree's true age. To determine exactly how old it was, the researchers extracted a small core sample from its trunk using a special drill. Mr. Šamonil explains how the process works.
"We use a very thin hollow drill, which we bore into the trunk all the way to the centre. It cuts out a narrow core containing the tree rings. We remove the sample, sand it smooth and analyse each annual ring. Since the tree produces one ring every year, we simply count them to determine its age."
According to Mr. Šamonil, the procedure causes only minimal damage, and the team treated the tree afterwards to help it heal. Because the sample reached the centre of the trunk, they were able to determine its age with a high degree of accuracy.
After checking the results twice, the team concluded that the beech is 492 years old, 21 years older than the previous Czech record-holder, discovered in the Ore Mountains in 2024.
The tree has survived the Habsburg monarchy, two world wars and centuries of change in the surrounding forests. So what does it take for a beech tree to reach such an exceptional age? Pavel Šamonil says the answer lies in the way it spent its early years.
"From our experience in primeval forest reserves, we've learned that for a tree to reach a truly exceptional age, it often has to spend perhaps 200 years growing in the shade beneath much larger trees. Only later does it reach the forest canopy, where sunlight finally reaches it. If a tree reaches the canopy too early, it has to withstand storms and other extreme weather, making it much more likely to be damaged."
But, for Pavel Šamonil, the discovery is about much more than setting a new age record. Ancient beeches, he says, are a vital link between today's forests and the original woodland that once covered much of the country.
"Ancient trees are a living link with the original primeval forest. They provide habitat for unique organisms throughout their lives, and even after they die they become ecosystems in their own right. Trees like this have stood in one place for nearly 500 years, supporting life in ways that simply don't happen in managed forests."
With a bit of luck, the ancient beech will still be standing in eight years' time, when it reaches its 500th birthday.
