Calculating age of a tree

Trees in Rain forest

How to determine the age of a tree?

If you come across a timber depot, stop a bit and look closely at the cross-section of a tree trunk. You will observe a series of concentric circle. these circles indicate the age of a tree.

How does it happen?

When a tree grows, two types of layers grow around its trunk every year, one soft, the other hard. These layers grow around in circles. External factors such as extreme cold, heat, famine, excessive rain etc., determine the shape, size, and thickness of the layers. Since this takes place once every year, the age of the tree can easily be calculated.