Judging age

[Giga]

I'm just curious how one goes getting an estimate for a tree's age? Some tree's to me don't look as old as there estimated to be(bonsai tree's anyway).

This hemlock has 51 rings, but some I had to use a magnifying glass as they where so close and some where far apart, so ez to count. Is ring counting the only good way to find the age of a tree?



This scrub pine appears to be old but how old? It was growing in a small pocket of rock and has thick bark-what would be a good age for this one?



even the small branches have thick bark on them

 

[whfarro]

Is the actual age more important then the appearance of "age". We admire Bonsai for the look, image and over all feel of age and majesty, not so much the calendar in my view. Knowing the true age is nice to have especially when tied to a fine trees lineage and ownership / care it has had during its lifetime, but is irrelevant if the tree is a "flagpole in a pot" regardless of age.

Just my thoughts anyway.

 

[klosi]

Tree is as old as it has rings when you cut it in half.
Bonsai is as old as it appears to be.

Not quite true but you get what I'm saying

 

[Giga]

I was asking for age not the appearance of age. I understand the concept of bonsai, but I would like to know if there's a way to gauge actual age within the reason.

 

[0soyoung]

A new bark plate, or cork layer, gets made each year, just like rings in the xyem, but plates sometimes flake off. Further, there are layers that have yet to split and form plates. In other words you could count cork layers in the bark and know the tree is years older than that count.

... not terribly informative ...

 

[jeanluc83]

I would look for dead trees of the same species growing in the same location under similar conditions. Cut a couple and count the rings. From that you can make an estimate on the age of the living tree. Even then it is just an estimate.

The only other opportunity to get an accurate age is when a major branch is removed or trunk is chopped.

Actual age always fascinated me more than perceived age.

 

[milehigh_7]

I was asking for age not the appearance of age. I understand the concept of bonsai, but I would like to know if there's a way to gauge actual age within the reason.

There is a way but you don't want to use it on a bonsai. There is a special tool that takes a core sample of a tree that will allow you to count the rings on a tree that's still living. The problem is it leaves a hole in your tree.

 

[rockm]

There is no way to tell without cutting the tree at its base (the oldest part of it) and counting the rings. Of course, this basically puts a period on its age and doesn't do the tree much good.

Even bark and other visually aging characteristics lie all the time.

 

[Nybonsai12]

There is a way but you don't want to use it on a bonsai. There is a special tool that takes a core sample of a tree that will allow you to count the rings on a tree that's still living. The problem is it leaves a hole in your tree.

yes this. Andy at Golden Arrow used to do this and maybe still does for some government agency. He explained this process to us at a club demo a year or two ago about drilling into the tree and pulling out a sample. He may have a pic still on his website to show what it looks like.

 

[milehigh_7]

I have done it in one of my botany classes. It is actually a pretty neat tool. It looks just like an ice core if you have ever seen that on Discovery or something like that. It just pulls out a small cylinder that allows you to see the rings fairly easily.

 

[GrimLore]

Interesting subject but the core and cut methods are the only reliable methods. On the subject of bark condition there are/has been trees that were cut to a stump and the base and bark scared a lot to give the "feeling" of an older specimen. I will be doing that to a few fruit trees next season

Grimmy

 

[ghues]

Strictly FYI.
In forestry circles we do this all the time but on big trees, however counting annual rings can be tricky especially if the tree had lamas growth -wiki "is a season of renewed growth in some trees in temperate regions put on in June, July and/or August (if in the northern hemisphere, January and February if in the southern)," so one could also see a thick and thin ring in the same year and double count. In forestry there is also the a factor of age to the point (height) of the increment borer (the tool to get the core).
To me age is nice to know but not only that.
Cheers Graham

 

[Giga]

Doh, so when bonsai websites are putting trees for sale and there saying estimated 200 years old. This is just to hike up the price since this could be really off? I'm gonna just say that pine is 100 years old lol