Determining the age of a tree can be difficult for someone who is not very plant-savvy. However, for each tree, for example, for pine, its own method has been developed, according to which you can find out the time of the beginning of its growth with an accuracy of several years.
Necessary
- - tape measure;
- - calculator.
Instructions
Step 1
Find out the age of the pine tree by the branches. In a given tree, they form several peculiar tiers, also called whorls. This means that each year a pine tree grows several branches at the same level. Count the number of these levels and add five to them, since such branches are not formed in the first years. This will give you the approximate age of the tree.
Step 2
Measure the circumference of the pine tree in centimeters at a height of about one and a half meters from the ground. Multiply the resulting figure by a factor of 0.7. The resulting figure will be the number of years during which the pine tree grew.
Step 3
As accurately as possible, up to a year, the age of a tree can be recognized by its annual rings. They will be able to provide information not only about how many years the pine tree has been growing in a given place, but also about how those years were in terms of weather conditions - favorable or difficult. The thicker the ring, the better the weather was for the tree to grow. It is not necessary to cut down a tree to study the annual rings. Modern technologies used by dendrologists allow using special tools to obtain a sample with cuts of annual rings. The resulting hole is filled with resin and the tree survives. Such methods are used, for example, to create a dendrochronological scale of a region.
Step 4
The relative age of a pine can be determined by its height. The taller the tree, the older it is in most cases. In the early years, the pine grows by 40-50 centimeters per year, and closer to 30-40 years, growth can accelerate up to 1 meter per year. Thus, if you see two pines standing next to each other, you can understand which one is older and by how many years. But this method is not suitable for old trees. Growing up to 40 meters, the tree no longer grows further. At the same time, more active dying off of the lower branches, less splendor of the crown may indicate its old age.
