Have you ever read a tree? Trees write stories for us to read, if you know how. They write their stories with tree rings. Trees grow a new ring each year. There have been many papers written on how tree rings from old trees show us climate cycles during the life of a tree. This type of study is called Dendroclimatology.
The tricky part of determining climate history from tree rings is that climate is only one variable that affects tree growth. Using tree rings to examine climate is best done with very old trees. Knowing what the forest was like around the tree as it grew, is also important. Corroboration with other old trees in the area is essential. In the early years of a tree’s life, it is often influenced much more by local factors other than climate.
Above is a cross-section of a 50-year old Ponderosa pine tree. Let’s read it. This tree doesn’t tell us about climate, it tells us about it’s neighborhood. The numbers represent the age of the tree at that particular point.
0 years – In the beginning, was the seedling. The tree seeded into an opening in the forest. Perhaps, the opening was a result of past timber harvesting or fire.
5 years – The rings were wide and the tree was growing fast. At this time, the rings began to get smaller because the young tree was starting to compete with the neighboring saplings.
20 years – The tree continued to grow at a slower rate, but the competition with the neighboring trees was really beginning to slow it’s growth. The foliage (crowns) of the trees grew together as the trees bumped into each other.
31 years – The timber stand was very dense as the trees grew together. The lower limbs died since little sunlight reached them. With fewer limbs and foliage, the tree made less energy. The tree was growing very slowly.
38 years – Something changed in the neighborhood, because this tree started growing a little faster. The timber stand may have been thinned in a logging operation, or some neighboring trees may have died from insect attack. Something reduced the number of neighboring trees. With fewer trees around it, our tree had less competition. It received a greater share of sunlight, water, and nutrients.
42 years – After a few years with less competition, the crown grew into a bigger, better, energy making factory. Upon recovering from heavy competition, the tree had the capability to grow faster.
50 years – The tree was harvested.
Now that you have seen it done, can you read a tree? Put on your detective hat and give it a try.
THE FORESTER ARTIST 
They just cut a lot of trees down in the park where we walk. Apparently they were dying but the stumps are still there and while we walk through I stop and try to count the rings. Now I have a better understanding of it! Thanks
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You’re very welcome!
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nice one. Totally interesting!!
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Thank you!
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🙂
>
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😀
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Very cool. Thanks
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Anytime
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Reblogged this on SwittersB & Exploring and commented:
Very informative
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Oh, Lordy. I broke a sweat just looking at the pic. 😉 “Read me ‘fore I fall! Please…”
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🙂
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It’s very I interesting Tim. But I am a bit sad at the ending though. That the poor 50 year tree was cut down.
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Don’t worry we plant more, a lot more! 🙂
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I’m with Monica, it seems such a shame that after all the trials and tribulations the poor guy gets cut down in his prime. 😦 I have a Lime tree in my garden, do you have Limes ? I don’t know how old it is I’ve been here 25 years and he’s always looked the same, but I’m not going to cut it down to satisfy my curiosity. :-(, Very interesting info on there , thank you.
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It’s okay, we grow trees for a living. We plant way more trees than we harvest. This one may have be harvested in a thinning to make room for the other tree. Sort of like thinning radishes.
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I remember from geography class in school that unlike tropical rainforests, cool climate forests grow in pure stands and are easier to replant and replenish. So that’s good.
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Some stands are pure, but many aren’t. We plant accordingly. We’ve gotten very good at reforestation. 🙂
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Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us Tim – it is a fascinating story. So good to see that despite all it’s setbacks, it kept on growing and it was rewarded accordingly. Pity that it was felled, however I am certain that it made space for more trees and I hope those reach 50 in due course! Best regards – metiefly
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On a working forest the tree are the crop. Just like a fish for a fisherman. A forester loves his trees like a fisherman loves his fish. We always have to thin some to keep the best one growing and healthy.
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is a 50 year rotation for Ponderosa Pine the norm? Was this sample from a plantation?
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No, in this part of the Sierra Nevada we usually rotate our timberstands at 70 years. We often thin the trees at a younger age to keep the stand healthy and reduce fire risk. I’m not sure if this tree was thinned from a stand or if it was cut in clearcut. Even though 70 years is our rotation age there are always younger trees mixed in.
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Very cool. Interesting to compare to the spruce/fir over here on the east coast.
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Tim sorry to miss your great stories unfortunately health is not that good at the moment but I am working at it. Hope you are all well.
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I’m sorry to hear that Doron. I hope things improve for you soon. We are doing well here. Today I took the misses to our gold mine so she could dig some gold. After all it’s Mother’s Day and she deserves a bit of gold.
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Private gold mine Tim… what’s one needs more.. To be honest no doubt she deserve it. Thank you, sorry on late reply but I am working on the health so will visit when I can. The sun is shining and that is a good sign 🙂
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You have to make hay while the sun’s shining, I always say! 🙂
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Absolutly… 🙂
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Very interesting. I had not thought you could read the “neighborhood” so much from the rings.
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When you have the opportunity to look at a lot of stumps and can see the effect on growth of the neighboring trees, you begin to get a good understanding of these relationships.
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