The Easy Way To Tell How Old Any Tree In Your Yard Is (Without Cutting It Down)

If you have a tree in your yard, you may be pretty intrigued to find out how old it is. Knowing how old your tree is helps you understand the ecological history of the area and allows you to understand the tree's needs better. An older tree tends to need different treatment from a younger one, and knowing its age and species can help you keep your tree happy and healthy for years to come. You probably know all about the method of counting a tree's rings in order to work out how old it is, but cutting down your tree just to figure out its age isn't really a great idea. Instead, you need to grab your measuring tape, a pencil, and a piece of paper.

Take your tape measure and wrap it around your tree at about 4.5 feet above the ground. Once you have the circumference of your tree in inches, you need to work out its diameter. To do this, divide the circumference by 3.14. Then, you have to multiply the diameter by the growth factor, which is determined by the species of the tree. For example, white birch has a growth factor of 5. So, if its diameter is 12 inches, we multiply that by five, which is 60, making this particular white birch 60 years old. 

The method of measuring the diameter of a tree and multiplying it by its growth factor can give you a rough estimate of the tree's age, but it is not precise. There are so many factors that affect the growth of a tree, such as water, soil, climate, and light. Some trees, such as aspen and white birch, need a lot of light, and their growth will be affected if they are located in a shadier location. Similarly, your garden's soil type will impact the rate of your trees' growth, as soil determines the amount of water and nutrients your tree gets and the quality of them. So, a seven-year-old dogwood growing in your yard may be smaller or bigger than a seven-year-old dogwood growing in your friend's yard. Furthermore, trees in urban areas tend to grow more slowly than trees in woodlands. This is because they experience more stress, whereas trees that are growing in woodlands tend to be less disturbed. 

There is a more precise way of measuring the age of your tree, but it does involve cutting into the tree and means you have to use a tool called an increment borer. This tool removes a small core of wood from the tree, which can be examined to determine a tree's age. However, these are expensive tools and could potentially cause harm if not used correctly. By sticking with the method that doesn't cut into your tree and knowing how long it takes popular trees to grow by following their growth factor, you can get a general idea of its age while keeping it happy and healthy.