That’s probably true, Karl, but it isn’t how the process works. Dendochronologists reach back in time by coring a wide variety of trees, including many old, dead trees and timbers used in old buildings. Then they compare the growth rings on the various trees to see if the ring patterns match, indicating that the life spans of the trees overlap. For example, if one tree lived from the year 1000 c.e. to the year 1600 c.e., and another tree lived from the year 1500 c.e. to the year 2000 c.e., then the trees will have a matching ring pattern for the years they shared in common; i.e., 1500 c.e. to 1600 c.e. If the more recent tree was cut in the year 2000 c.e., then the ring record will date back 1000 years even though neither tree is more than 600 years old. The key is to find trees which would have experienced the same climate, because that’s what permits the matching ring patterns from different trees to be positively correlated. This is typically satisfied by using trees from the same geographic location.

Truly, every discussion at this site is a severely handicapped race for you, with religious claims being given a huge head start over the careful work of scientists

The climatologists have pieced together a patchy record of what they believe the tree did during the time they propose it to have been alive, based upon the carbon dating of dead trunk and root materials.

It has undoubtedly survived ravage after ravage of cold weather and glaciers that removed it trunks, but there is no complete record of some continuous 8000 rings that can be put together without some driving carbon 14 evidence to fuel the stretch. There are likely many gaps in the growth because of the times when this tree was actually frozen and unable to do anything but wait for the ice to melt.

I believe the entire northern reaches of the globe were under ice just several days after the start of the flood, so the trees may very well from before the flood, that doesn’t mean it is the 8000 years it is claimed to be.

Notice, how the wording “may be the oldest” is used but the cut and dry age of 8,000 years for the carbon dating is very certain and a reliable extrapolation in the dating methodology.

The tree is definitely old and may date from the earliest dawn of anything that was alive on the planet. My question is why aren’t there more trees like this one around if the processes that have changed our planet have been uniformitarian and slow gradual processes.

If this trees has survived across the flood devastation, it must be an ample clue to that region of the world condition during the flood - frozen waters - not warm tropical flood waters.

Slice the tree up and start counting rings, when you get to about 4 thousands you’ll have to look between the lines for the other 4 thousand.

Such a shame to have to kill a tree you guys think is 8,000 years old.

Before you can even think about Bible quotes, you need to 1) confront the questions of whether there really is a Sentient All-knowing Being out there (versus whether we are creating Him just like we’ve created Santa Claus) and 2) ask whether the Bible is a work of this “God” or rather, whether it is a document written by fallible men.

You might be interested in Bart Ehrman’s research regarding the origin of the Bible. Check out this post on Ehrman: http://dangerousintersection.org/2006/10/22/who-changed-the-bible-and-why-bart-ehrmans-startling-answers/

Ecclesiastes3:11 ¶ He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
14 I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.

Ecclesiastes 8:17 Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.

If God is the creator, then it would’t it make sense the the creator is smarter and wiser than His creation? Who are we to question God?

Many of the beliefs held by today’s fundie Christians are NOT EVEN IN THE BIBLE! Ya know like the RAPTURE? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapture NOT IN THE BIBLE!
Sadly, this only goes to show that fundementalism does not equal truly being educated in one’s own religion.

(Sorry, couldn’t resist)