How Old Is Your Tree?
Have you ever wondered how old the looming tree in your garden is? It’s not something we really think about, but there are actually a few ways you can figure it out. One way is to count the rings inside the trunk of the tree, but that can only really be done if a tree is at the end of life and is cut down. Of course, you can also perform a core boring to count the rings within the sample, but this can damage the tree badly. You don’t actually have to harm the tree to see how old it is, as there are kinder ways to check.
For instance, a way to check without being invasive, is to estimate. This can be done quite accurately by measuring the circumference of the trunk, around five feet from the bottom. Depending on the sort of tree (due to the difference in growth rates) you should be able to work it out. A UK average growth speed is 2.5cm each year, which can be applied to varieties such as beech, ash, hazel and elm, whereas a tree like pine or sycamore can be 3cm. Smaller growths ranging from 1.25cm and 1.88cm can be linked to trees such as oak. So, to work out the age you need to identify the type of tree and then divide the girth by the growth rate.
For example, an oak tree that has a circumference of 100cm, which is divided by the yearly growth of 1.88cm would be 53.2 years old! If you think about how long some trees have been around for, quite a few of them would have seen the world go by for quite a while. For a free detailed quotation on any tree work, call the Tree Surgeons in Bracknell, call Kings.
