The thousand-year-old larch in Valmalenco

The Valmalenco, in the heart of the Rhaetian Alps, creeps towards the Bernina Massif to reach the almost 4,000 metres of the highest peaks in Lombardy.

In a rich and varied alpine environment, one encounters unique trees. Especially surprising are some very old larches. Centuries of life are often attributed to arboreal specimens, but there is no real scientific data about them. In Valmalenco, on the other hand, specific dendrochronological analyses were carried out, based on the coring of the trunk and the direct counting of growth rings on the samples taken. It is really exciting to discover that a larch (Larix decidua) in Val Ventina was born in the year 1007. It is the oldest scientifically dated tree in the Alps.

Accessible via a special trail, which starts at the Gerli Porro lodge (1965 m a.s.l.), the thousand-year-old specimen lives at an altitude of almost 2200 metres, in front of Monte Disgrazia (3678 m a.s.l.). It is amazing to think that the larch was already centuries old when historical events such as the discovery of America took place. Nestled between boulders, its ancient trunk has a circumference of 2.70 metres (diameter 85 cm) and a height of 16 metres. Raised in a harsh environment, near the Ventina Glacier, despite its age it did not reach a large size. Surrounded by an impressive alpine landscape, it is an exceptional treasure trove of trees to be discovered.

A green monument that is accessible to the public.

(Ph: Marco Fumagalli)