The fabulous National Park in Patagonia with the oldest tree in Argentina

This record tree is the Alerce Abuelo, which is located in the province of Chubut, and occupies the second place among the oldest on the planet, only surpassed by a specimen of Pinus longaeva, in the United States. The long-lived tree is located in the heart of the Millenary Alergrove of the Los Alerces National Park and belongs to the species Fitzroya cupressoides, known for its extremely slow growth and the resistance of its wood. These two factors are the causes of its long life. To visit this emblematic tree of Patagonia you have to make a trip with certain difficulties: you must cross different sectors of the National Park in an excursion that combines walkways, walks and a navigation section. This trip for adventurers begins at the walkway that crosses the Arrayanes River, where the Green Lake flows. From there you must walk one kilometer to Puerto Chucao. There you board a catamaran that sails across Lake Menéndez until you reach a forest in which larch trees coexist harmoniously with myrtles, lianas and wild orchids, near the Cisne River. The oldest tree in Argentina cannot be touched As access is restricted, visitors must contemplate the beauty of the majestic Alerce Abuelo from a distance, without being able to touch it. This measure was taken to preserve the environment and not put the survival of this record-breaking specimen at risk. Visitors must undergo a disinfection process before starting the excursion and can get up to one meter away from the tree. There they take photos and receive information from the specialized guides of the National Park. To calculate the age of the Grandfather Alerce, the trunk ring technique was used. Each year of life is recorded in two layers, one is from spring and the other from autumn. It was necessary to make a controlled drilling to the center of the trunk and extract a wooden rod to carry out the biological verification. Its more than two millennia of life allowed it to coexist with numerous generations of myrtles, condors and huemules. Comparisons regarding its lifespan are shocking: it was born before Christianity. The persistent humidity of the Andean forest, where rainfall of 4 thousand millimeters per year is recorded, protects this tree, which at the base has a trunk 2.80 meters in diameter and reaches 57 meters in height (similar to an 18-story building). In the Alerce Abuelo, life passes more slowly: it only grows one millimeter per year. Its wood, reddish and strong, resists rot. That is why it has been used for houses, roofs and railway sleepers. Its location protected it from the hand of man and it was able to remain standing throughout the centuries. The iconic Patagonian tree only became known one hundred years ago, when the Tucumán botanist Miguel Lillo left a faithful record of its existence. Impressed by its size, he sensed that it could contain enormous historical value due to its extraordinary age and asked that it be protected. He managed to convince the authorities of this need and thus continued to survive. Decades later he began to be studied and his age could be determined. Since then security measures became stronger, preventing the approach. A sign placed near its trunk tells the story of the second oldest tree in the world that welcomes thousands of visitors and amazes everyone with its longevity and beauty.