To measure the exact age of Old Methuselah, the oldest living tree in the world, a Nevada

Question:

To measure the exact age of Old Methuselah, the oldest living tree in the world, a Nevada professor of dendrology, aided by an employee of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, cut the tree down in 1965 and counted its rings. Is this an extreme example of altering that which you measure or an example of arrogant and criminal stupidity?