The Bristlecone Pine is among the oldest living organisms on earth. One in particular, Methuselah, holds the world record as the oldest living tree today. (National Park Service)

The Giant Sequoia is the most massive tree on the planet. The largest of these, in Sequoia National Park, is 52,508 cubic feet by trunk volume. (National Park Service)

With a legendary reddish-brown trunk that can exceed 350 feet, the Coastal Redwood is easily the tallest tree in the world. Perhaps less well-known is that “[t]heir roots grow only 10 to 13 feet vertically, and then spread horizontally for 60 to 80 feet, intertwining with the roots of other redwoods in a grove for stability.” (National Park Service)

The Sitka Spruce is also a staggeringly tall tree, and is the largest of the spruce family. Its light and flexible, yet strong wood has long been preferred in all kinds of general construction, as well as for making instruments like violins and pianos. (British Columbia)

The Western Redcedar, also known as arborvitae (Latin for “tree of life”), is a fragrant, durable, and particularly decay-resistant wood, which is why it was used in early canoes, shelters, clothing and even medicine. “A fallen cedar can remain on the forest floor for well over a century,” so it’s no wonder that for native people of the northwest “[g]roves of ancient cedars were symbols of power, and gathering places for ceremonies, retreat, and contemplation.” (Oregon.gov)