Big California Redwood Younger Than Thought

SAN FRANCISCO — An analysis found that the tallest redwood tree in Muir Woods in California is 777 years old – not the 1,500 years once assumed. The study out of Humboldt State University is the first determination of the age of trees in Muir Woods, north of San Francisco, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Sunday. The findings mean the 249-foot-tall coast redwood named Tree 76 was born seven centuries later than initially believed and dates back to the start of the Inquisition in the early 13th century. It also means the oldest and biggest tree found in Muir Woods is just a baby compared with the huge old-growth trees farther north. San Francisco’s Save the Redwoods League is documenting the age, size and tree-ring history of California’s old-growth redwood groves as part a statewide project.