 The age of the tree was determined by carbon dating of genetically matched plant material collected from under the tree , as dendrochronology would cause damage . The trunk itself is estimated to be only a few hundred years old , but the plant has survived for much longer due to a process known as layering ( when a branch comes in contact with the ground , it sprouts a new root ) , or vegetative cloning ( when the trunk dies but the root system is still alive , it may sprout a new trunk ) . 
