PART I. 



ELEMENTARY FORESTRY. 



CHAPTER I. 



THE TREE. 



A tree is a woody plant with a single stem which from 

 natural tendencies divides into two or more main branches at 

 some distance from the ground and takes on what is commonly 

 known as the tree form. 



The most evident parts of a tree are stem ( commonly called 

 trunk), branches, twigs, roots, buds, leaves, flowers, fruit 

 and seed. 



The Stem, Branches and Roots are made up of inner bark, outer 

 bark, sapwood and heartwood. The outer bark, sapwood and 



heartwood are made up of 

 concentric circles termed 

 annual rings. During each 

 period of growth two new 

 rings are formed one on 

 the outside of the sap- 

 wood and another on the 

 inside of the outer bark 

 and as we seldom have 

 more than one season of 

 growth each year but one 

 ring is formed on the wood 

 in a year; so that by count- 

 JL ing the rings of wood in the 



Figure 1. Cross Section of Woody Stem diagram showing (a) outer 

 bark, (b) inner bark or bast, (c) cambium, (d, e, f, g and h) annual rings 

 of wood, and (/) pith. 



stem we can determine very closely the age of trees. In very 



