The story of this tree's sad demise in 1973 offers a bitter reminder of how even a single moment of human recklessness can destroy a wonder so long wrought.

A lone acacia, known as the Tree of Ténéré, once stood defiantly in northeast Niger. For ages it lived companionless in the vast Sahara desert, the only tree for over 250 miles, until one day ...

The hardy tree, a nearby well showed, had reached its roots more than 100 feet underground to drink from the water table. But then, in 1973, the centuries-old survivor met its match. A guy ran the ...

Known simply as the Tree of Ténéré, this solitary sentinel was considered the most isolated tree on Earth, serving as a crucial waypoint for countless caravans crossing the harsh desert expanse.