 The tree has survived for so long due to vegetative cloning . The visible tree is relatively young , but it is part of an older root system which dates back thousands of years . The trunk of the tree may die and regrow multiple times , but the tree 's root system remains intact and in turn sprouts another trunk . The trunk may only live for about 600 years , and when one trunk dies another eventually grows back in its place . Also , each winter , heavy snow may push the tree 's low @-@ lying branches to ground level , where they take root and survive to grow again the next year in a process known as layering . <unk> occurs when a tree 's branch comes in contact with the earth , and new roots sprout from the contact point . Other trees , such as coast redwoods and western <unk> are known to reproduce by layering . The tree 's age was determined by carbon @-@ 14 dating of the root system , which found roots dating back to 375 , 5 @,@ 660 , 9 @,@ 000 , and 9 @,@ 550 years . Carbon dating is not accurate enough to pin down the exact year the tree sprouted from seed , but given the estimated age the tree is supposed to have sprouted around <unk> BC . For comparison , the invention of writing ( and thus , the beginning of recorded history ) did not occur until around 4000 BC . Researchers have found a cluster of around 20 spruce trees in the same area , all over 8 @,@ 000 years old . Previous researchers considered the Norway spruce species to be a relative newcomer to Sweden , with theories postulating the tree migrated into the area around 2 @,@ 000 years ago . Trees much older than 10 @,@ 000 years would be practically impossible in Sweden , because until around 11 @,@ 000 years ago the area was in the grip of a world @-@ wide ice age . Nature conservancy authorities are considering putting a fence around the tree to protect it from possible vandals or trophy hunters . 
