![](https://globalplantcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/sequoia-2461260_640-e1598511248157.jpg)
The oldest trees on Earth have stood for nearly five millennia, and researchers have long wondered to what extent these ancient organisms undergo senescence, physically deteriorating as they age. In a Forum recently published plant biologist argues that although signs of senescence in long-lived trees may be almost imperceptible to people, this does not mean that they’re immortal.