All the cells of a multicellular organism are the product of cell divisions organized into a single binary tree. Cell divisions are, however, accompanied by replication errors, which result in somatic evolution and can potentially lead to aging, tissue deterioration, and cancer. Using mathematical models we show that well orchestrated patterns of cell divisions during tissue development and maintenance can dramatically slow down somatic evolution and can ensure a long lifespan for large multicellular organisms, including both animals and plants.