At the summit of the White Mountains in eastern California, a single pine tree known as Methuselah has been growing for nearly 4,800 years, making it the oldest non-clonal organism known on Earth. This species, called the Great Basin bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva), was confirmed to be approximately 4,855 years old in 2025, with an estimated germination date of 2832 BCE. Located on a limestone slope more than 3,000 meters above sea level, Methuselah's exact location is kept secret by the U.S. Forest Service to protect it from damage caused by visitors. While a 4.5-mile loop trail named after the tree is open to the public, no signs mark its location among the surrounding pines. The tree was first studied in the 1950s by dendrochronologist Edmund Schulman and his colleague Tom Harlan. In 1957, they sampled Methuselah and determined it was about 4,789 years old. However, the decision to keep Methuselah's location secret was influenced by a past event involving another ancient bristlecone pine called Prometheus. In 1964, a graduate student named Donald Currey was allowed to cut down Prometheus, which was likely older than Methuselah. His research showed that Prometheus was at least 4,862 years old, making it the oldest known tree at the time. The incident sparked increased efforts to protect ancient trees, leading to federal measures that now safeguard the locations of the oldest living bristlecones, as well as fallen logs and dead wood within protected areas. Despite its fame, the U.S. Forest Service continues to keep Methuselah's location confidential. A fire in 2008 destroyed a nearby visitor center and several trees, and in 2021, online photographs were shared that appeared to show the tree's location, though the agency has not confirmed which tree was depicted. The Forest Service believes that maintaining uncertainty helps prevent damage from curious visitors. Methuselah's bark is fragile, and its exposed dead wood is brittle, making it particularly vulnerable to vandalism. Scientists from the tree-ring laboratory at the University of Arizona continue their research in the White Mountains, and they suspect there may be an even older pine tree somewhere on these slopes, though it remains unnamed and unmarked.