Age of Trees

Trees are the best part of hiking.  They take great photos.

 Have you ever seen a tree stump?  Do you look at the rings?  Each small circle around the diameter of the tree is a year of life.  A small ring means it was a hard year for the tree to grow.  It had little water or it was cold.  A thick ring means the tree had ideal conditions to grow.  Water, sun, warmth.

Without doing a formal coring you can figure out the age of a tree by giving it a hug.  Let me explain.  If you take a small boring through the tree’s trunk you get a sample of the rings without doing damage to the tree.  But only a trained arborist should try it.

Instead with a string or a measuring tape go around the trunk and determine the diameter.  Do this about three feet from the ground.  On average one inch equals one year.  Without looking at the rings you can’t be specific.

Why is a tree’s age so interesting?  Well, I find history fascinating.  I wonder about the place where the tree is and how things around the tree have changed during its life.

Was it always in a forest or did one develop around the tree?  Did a forest disappear around the tree and it was left standing?  Was there a fire or a flood?  How many animals have or do call the tree home?  All this stuff interests me.

Green space is a good thing.  Don’t let it completely disappear.

Pack out what you pack in.

Sources:

            Trees of the United States and Canada, World Book, Inc. Chicago, Anova Books Company © 2007