Explore the great outdoors and you’ll discover pine tree, but did you know most tend to live to ages of 100 to 1000 years? In fact, the oldest on record is the Great Basin bristlecone pine which lived for an impressive 4,600 years!

If you’d like to see it in person just take a camping trip out to the white Mountains of California.

Though, the truth is, pine trees are more popular than just the Christmas tree and air freshener in your car.

In reality they are one of the most commercially important species in the world thanks to their wood pulp and timber. Not to mention, they hold significant meanings amount many cultures.

Take for instance the Iroquois tribe who viewed them as symbols of peace. By burning the pine it would ward off frightening nightmares and ghosts. Other tribes like those of the Plateu and Great Basin believed that by burning them it would change the weather and deliver more rain upon the land.

Now, there are also three very popular pine trees too: Korean, Chinese and Japanese.

Koreans leave pine branches out on the doorstep after a new baby is born. In a sense, it is a symbol of congratulations, but also thought to deter evil spirits. Most notably you’ll find them tired together in bundle with rope and charcoal.

In China, the pine is called the sōngshù, and it signifies a long life, with solitude and virtue. It’s also a part of the “Three friends of Winter” and plays a role in the New Year.

The matsu, or pine tree in Japan, represents the same ideals as China, only it also includes power, masculinity and youth. In ancient Shinto, it’s been said the gods ascend to heaven from the pine tree, which is why the word matsu literally means just that! For the ones that have passed away, it’s believed they are resting upon the volcanic mountains within the oldest and largest pines.