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Description

How to Age a Tree with out cutting it down

Resources

tape measure
maths brain or calculator

Instructions

When you look through a section of a tree, you can work out the age of the tree by counting the number of concentric rings. There's one ring for every year of the trees life. Of course to find the age of the tree by this method you have to cut the tree down.

Here's an alternative and faster way to estimate the age of a tree. Take a tape and measure the girth (distance around the trunk) approximately 150cms. from the ground.

If the tree is growing close to other trees, and it has a tall straight trunk, it will have been struggling to grow up to the sunlight, so every 12mms. of girth equals one year of growth.

If the tree is standing on its own with plenty of side branches growing from the trunk, then every 25 mm. of girth equals one year of growth.

http://www.uksafari.com/treeage.htm

now ask the scouts to look around the area of the scout hut and measure the trees

Tags

• Naturalist
• Naturalist investigate
• Trees

Badge Links

• Naturalist - Investigate