Using the Annual Tree Ring to Determine Tree Age

By Steve Nix, About.com Guide

Again, there are many reasons to use a tree core in forestry. Foresters can determine the average age of a forest or find an exact age of a single tree. Knowing the age of stands of trees is valuable when management decisions are being made to improve forest health, predict future growth, determine soil fertility and develop cutting cycles.

A forester can use these cores to project growth of a stand of trees by statistically sampling the number of rings over a set period of years. They also can determine the fertility of the soil by taking dominant or codominant tree core samples. These cores are used to determine total age and, along with a height measurement, can be used to determine the site index or growth potential of the soil for that species.

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• A Tree's Annual Rings
• Why Do Foresters and Arborists Use Tree Annual Rings?
• How Foresters Use Increment Borers
• What do Foresters Learn from a Tree Core?
• Reading an Increment Borer Tree Core

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