The oldest known tree in Ontario is an eastern white cedar growing on the cliffs of Lion’s Head that germinated in the year 688 AD, it is over 1330 years old. The oldest hardwoood tree in Ontario (and in Canada) is a black gum near Niagara Falls that is over 580 years old. Red pines reach 500 years-old and hemlocks at least 460 years. A hemlock in Algonquin Park that is 408 years old is part of an unprotected forest. Learn more about Ontario’s oldest and biggest trees, including where to see them, in Ontario’s old-growth forests: a guidebook and Old-growth Forest Walks: 26 Hikes in Ontario’s Greenbelt.
Below is the most up-to-date list of Ontario’s oldest trees. – ages in bold are the oldest verifiable age from a living tree (alive at time of aging). Updated January 2022:
| Species | Age | Location | Notes |
| Conifers | |||
| Black Spruce Picea mariana Lifespan >370 yrs | 343 | North of Smooth Rock Falls | 326 year ring count. Vasiliauskas 2006 |
| 330 | Sleeping Giant Prov. Park | 330 year ring count, Roughly 25 cm diameter. Girardin et al. | |
| Hemlock Tsuga canadensis Lifespan >550 yrs | 454 | Algonquin Park | 430 year count, 50 cm diameter. Vasiliauskas 1995 |
| 435 | Niagara Gorge | Aged by tree core. Kershner, 2004 | |
| 460 | Mark S. Burnham Prov. Park | 439 year count, 53 cm diameter, recently dead when cored. Henry 2005. Photo | |
| 408 | Algonquin Park | 384-year ring count, 51 cm DBH. Unprotected. Henry et al. 2018. | |
| Jack Pine Pinus banksiana | 246 | Blue Lake (near Timmins) | Girardin et al. |
| Red Pine Pinus resinosa Lifespan >500 yrs | 400 | Blue Lake (near Timmins) | 400 year ring count, 65 cm diameter. Girardin et al. |
| 400 | White Bear Forest, Temagami | 385-year ring count. 55 cm diameter. Quinby et al 1998 . | |
| 500 | near Granite Lake, Kenora | Exact 500-year ring count. This tree was cut in 1992 for a power line. St. George 2006 | |
| Tamarack Larix laricina Lifespan >371 yrs | 180 | Snake Creek | 161 year count , 37 cm diameter. Henry 2017 |
| White Cedar Thuja occidentalis | 1316 | Niagara Escarpment | Dwarfed cliff cedar, germinated 688 AD. Kelly and Larson 2004, Kelly and Larson 2007, Larson 2005. Photo |
| 1890 | Niagara Escarpment | This ancient cliff cedar had been dead for centuries but was preserved under a rock overhang. 1567 rings were counted, estimated age 1890 years. Larson 2001, Larson 2005, Kelly and Larson 2007 | |
| 1653 | Niagara Escarpment | 1653 rings were counted on a dead trunk. This is the longest complete ring count on an ancient cedar in Ontario. Kelly and Larson 2007 | |
| 344 | Sleeping Giant Prov. Park | Growing in swamp forest. Girardin et al. | |
| White Pine Pinus strobus | 486 | Dividing Lake Nature Reserve | Age reported to be accurate within +/- 23 years. Guyette and Dey 1995 |
| 388 | Quinn Lake, Algoma | Growing since 1603. Arbex 1991 | |
| >500 | Swan Lake, Algonquin Park | Preserved underwater. Guyette and Cole 1999 | |
| Hardwoods | |||
| Balsam Poplar Populus balsamifera | 207 | Vasiliauskas 2005 | |
| Beech Fagus grandifolia Lifespan >366 yrs | 204 | Backus Woods | 51 cm DBH. Larson et al. 1999 |
| Bitternut Hickory | 275 | Beamer Memorial Conservation Area | Ring count from a fallen log, 24″ diameter. Kershner 2003 |
| Black Ash Fraxinus nigra Lifespan >319 yrs | 218 | Algonquin Park | 203-year ring count, 57 cm diameter. Unprotected. Henry and Quinby 2018 |
| 319 | Lac Duparquet, Quebec | In the Quebec claybelt, east of the Ontario border. | |
| Black Gum Nyssa sylvatica Lifespan >679 yrs | 580 | Niagara Falls | 564-year ring count. 20.8m high, 59.2cm DBH. Torenvliet 2015. Photo |
| 510 | Bowmans Archery Club Black Gum Grove, Niagara Falls | 498-year ring count. Torenvliet 2015 | |
| (407) | Backus Woods | 300-year ring count (extrapolated). Mccaw 1985 | |
| Black Walnut Juglans nigra | 260 | Rondeau Provincial Park | Rings were counted from the stump of a windthrown tree. Bartlett 1958 |
| Flowering Dogwood Cornus florida | 195 | Burlington | Tree was recently dead. 180 rings were counted on a section taken 7 feet from the base. Torenvliet 2021. Photo of section. |
| Ironwood Carpinus caroliniana | 245 | Algonquin Park | 230-year ring count. Diameter was less than 20 cm. Vasiliauskas 1995 |
| Mountain Paper Birch Betula cordifolia | 240 | Rainbow falls Prov. Park | Roughly 35 cm diameter. Girardin et al. |
| Red Oak Quercus Rubra Lifespan >326 yrs | 280 | Rondeau Provincial Park | Rings were counted from the stump of a windthrown tree. Bartlett 1958 |
| Shagbark Hickory Carya ovata | 416 | Harold Mitchell Nature Reserve | 401 rings counted at 1.4 m from ground. Extensive periods of extremely slow growth. Torenvliet 2021 |
| 380 | Niagara Region | 365-year ring count. 51 cm diameter. 15 years were added to reach breast height, a conservative estimate considering slow growth near the pith. Torenvliet | |
| 250 | Rondeau Provincial Park | Rings were counted from the stump of a windthrown tree. Bartlett 1958 | |
| Silver Maple Acer saccharinum | 380 | Backus Woods | This was the counted age on a tree core taken from a 51 cm silver maple. Martin and Martin 2001, Martin 2006 |
| Sugar Maple Acer saccharum | 350 | Mark S. Burnham Provincial Park | 330-year ring count, 72 cm diameter. Bakowsky 2013 |
| >300 | Peter’s Woods | Ring count of 280 years, 66 cm diameter. Estimated age was 460 years from 20 cm core. Martin and Martin 2001, Martin 2006 | |
| 380 | Waterloo County | The “Merlau Maple” was growing in Waterloo County from about 1610 to 1990. www.whaton.uwaterloo.ca /waton/climate.html | |
| >300 | Pelham | The “Comfort Maple,” age reported to be 500 years but unconfirmed. NPCA 2005 | |
| Trembling Aspen Populus tremuloides | 213 | Lake Abitibi Model Forest | Lefort 2005 |
| Tulip Tree Liriodendron tulipifera Lifespan >509 yrs | 245 | Backus Woods | 71cm diameter. Larson et al. 1999 |
| White Ash Fraxinus americana | 260 | Rondeau Provincial Park | Rings were counted from the stump of a windthrown tree. Bartlett 1958 |
| White Elm Ulmus americana | 267 | Bruce County | Tree was cut because of dutch elm disease. The Sauble Elm |
| White Oak Quercus alba Lifespan >464 yrs | >350 | Peter’s Woods | 330 year ring count (missing 1/3 of core, 91 cm diameter. Rings “very narrow throughout” the core, estimated age 450 years. Martin and Martin 2001, Martin 2006 |
| 560 | Hamilton area | Wilkie counted the rings of a cut stump about two metres in diameter. Wilkie 1837 | |
| Yellow Birch Betula alleghaniensis | >387 | Algonquin Park | Actual ring count. Tree had heart rot beyond 387 rings. Vasiliauskas 1995 |
| (610) | Algonquin Park | Age was corrected for heart rot from a short section of core – this age is unreliable, but tantalizing. Martin and Martin 2001, Martin 2006 |
Please let me know about old trees with accurate ring counts (either from tree cores, or cross sections of dead trees). Email: info@oldgrowth.ca
Most of Ontario’s oldest trees are relatively small, because tree size and age are not strongly related, especially in very old trees (learn more about recognizing old trees). There is no comprehensive up to date list of Ontario’s largest trees, but an antiquated (2003) version and some up-to-date links is available at the Honour roll of Ontario Trees.
A list of the oldest known trees in eastern North America is found here https://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/~adk/oldlisteast/ which is a subset of the list of the oldest trees in North America.
Support Old-Growth Forest Conservation
You can support work to protect old-growth forests in Algonquin Park, the Spanish Forest, Temagami, and Southern Ontario by contributing to my GoFundMe campaign to Save Ontario’s old-growth forests. Any size of contribution helps me keep doing this work, and supports this website. Thank you!
Sources
- Arbex Forest Development Co. Ltd. 1991. Life science resource features of selected areas containing old white and red pine (site region 4E – Ontario)
- Bakowsky, W. D. (2013) using external characteristics to identify old growth hardwood trees. Tree Coring Project Conducted at Mark. S. Burnham Provincial Park for Ontario Parks March 31, 2013. 8 pp.
- Bartlett, C.O. 1958. A study of some deer and forest relationships in Rondeau Provincial Park. Wildlife series No. 7. Ontario Department of Lands and Forests.
- Girardin MP, Tardif JC, Flannigan MD, Bergeron Y (in press) Synoptic scale atmospheric circulation and summer drought variability of the past three centuries, boreal Canada. Journal of Climate, in press.
- Guyette, R.P. and W.G. Cole. 1999. Age characteristics of coarse woody debris (Pinus strobus) in a lake littoral zone. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science 56: 496–505.
- Guyette, R.P. and D.C. Dey. 1995. Age, size and regeneration of old growth white pine at Dividing Lake Nature Reserve, Algonquin Park, Ontario. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Ontario Forest Research Institute, Sault Ste. Marie, Forest Research Report No. 131, 11p.
- Henry, M. 2005. Unpublished data.
- Henry, M. 2017. Unpublished data.
- Henry, M. & P. Quinby. 2018. The Hurdman Creek Old-Growth Forest: an Unprotected Endangered Old-Growth Forest in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario. Ancient Forest Exploration & Research, Preliminary Results Bulletin #2. 9 pp.
- Henry, M.; Torenvliet, N.; Quinby, P.A. 2018. The Cayuga Lake Old-Growth Forest Landscape: an Unprotected Endangered Ecosystem in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario. Ancient Forest Exploration & Research, Preliminary Results Bulletin #6. 10 pp.
- Kelly, P.E. and D.W. Larson. 2004. The Niagara Escarpment Ancient Tree Atlas Project; Volume 2. Unpublished Report, 54p.
- Kelly, P.E. and D.W. Larson. 1997. Effects of rock climbing on populations of presettlement eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) on cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment, Canada. Conservation Biology 11: 1125-1132.
- Kelly, P.E. and D.W. Larson. 2007. The Last Stand: A Journey Through the Ancient Cliff-Face Forest of the Niagara Escarpment. Natural Heritage Books. 176 pp.
- Kershner, B. 2003. Old growth forest survey of Niagara Peninsula
- Kersher, B. 2004. Personal communication, September 16 2004.
- Larson, B.M., J.L. Riley, E.A. Snell and H.G. Godschalk. 1999. The Woodland Heritage of Southern Ontario: A Study of Ecological Change, Distribution and Significance. Federation of Ontario Naturalists, Don Mills, Ontario. 262 pp.
- Larson, D. W. 2001. The paradox of great longevity in a short-lived trees species. Experimental Gerontology: 36: 651-673.
- Larson, D. W., Personal Communication, November 15, 2005.
- Lefort, P., Personal Communication, February 20, 2005.
- Martin, N.D. and N.M. Martin. 2001. Biotic Forest Communities of Ontario. Commonwealth Research, Belleville, Ontario. 195 pp.
- Martin, N.D., Personal Communication, April 1, 2006.
- McCaw, P.E., 1985. The status of black gum (“Nyssa sylvatica” Marsh.) in Backus Woods, Southern Ontario. Masters Thesis, University of Toronto. 136 Pages.
- Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA), 2005. Personal communication.
- Quinby, P., M. Henry and T. Lee. 1998. Unpublished Data. Core extracted by M. Henry.
- St. George, S. (Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, University of Arizona), Personal Communication, February 21, 2006.
- Tardif, J., and Y. Bergeron, 1999. Population dynamics of Fraxinus nigra in response to flood-level variations, in northwestern Quebec. Ecological Monographs. 69(1): 107-125.
- Torenvliet, N., 2015. Personal communication. January 21, 2015.
- Torenvliet, N., Personal communication. Feb 19 & Nov 3, 2021.
- Torenvliet, N., Personal communication.
- Vasiliauskas, S. A. 1995. Interpretation of age-structure gaps in Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) populations of Algonquin Park. Ph.D. Thesis, Department of Biology, Queen’s University. 170 pp.
- Vasiliauskas, S. A., Personal Communication, November 25, 2005.
- Vasiliauskas, S. A., Personal Communication, February 9, 2006.
- Wilkie, D. 1837. Sketches of a summer trip to New York and the Canadas. Edinburgh.