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CHAPTER V. 



THE AGE OF TREES AND WOODS. 



It is of importance to know, not only the actual dimensions 

 of the trees and their volume, but also the time, which has 

 been necessary to produce them. To solve this question, the 

 age of single trees, as well as that of whole woods, must be 

 ascertained. 



1. Determination of the Age of Single Trees, 

 a. Standing Trees. 

 All trees increase annually in diameter and also by the 

 elongation of the leading shoots and branches, at any rate 

 up to a certain age. Tlie diameter increment produces 

 every year an additional concentric ring, and the new leading 

 shoot leaves marks, which are more or less distinguishable, 

 according to species and age. These facts yield data, by which 

 the age can be determined in the majority of cases, but not 

 in all, when no records are available, which give the age. 

 Accordingly, the following methods of determining the age 

 may be distinguished : — 



i. Deteumination from existing Records. 

 Reliable records yield the best results, if they refer to 

 individual trees. In the case of trees, which form part of a 

 wood, they are not always accurate, as many woods are not 

 even-aged. 



ii. Determinatkix r,Y Estimate. 



As a general rule, it may be assumed, that the larger the 

 tree the older it is. Taking, therefore, into consideration the 

 conditions, under which a tree has grown up, its age can be 



