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Home » Science Experiments for Kids » Garden Science » How to tell the age of a tree

How to tell the age of a tree

Modified: Aug 7, 2023 · Published: May 30, 2013 by Emma Vanstone · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

Do you know how to find out how old a tree is?  Can you tell if one tree is older than another tree, just by looking at it?

Older trees tend to be taller with a wider trunk.

Child hugging a tree

How to find out the age of a tree.

Try one of these easy methods to find out how old a tree is.

Count the rings

One common way to find the age of a tree is to count the annual rings.

We found a tree which had been cut down and looked at the rings inside. Every year the tree grows a new layer of wood below the bark, which makes the trunk grow wider. The rings vary in size, depending on the growth that has occurred. Tree growth is affected by the availability of nutrients, water and other factors.

A tree with tree rings
annual rings of a tree

Measure the circumference

Another way to estimate the age of a tree is to measure its girth or circumference. You could do this by wrapping a rope around the trunk of the tree and then measuring the rope.

Generally, each 2.5cm represents one year of growth, although this differs depending on the species of tree.

Count the Whorls

Some tree species, such as pines, spruces and firs, grow a whorl of branches each year. Count the number of whorls or branches to find out the age of the tree!

Beautiful pine trees

More Tree Science for Kids

From ABC to Acts has another fun way of measuring a tree’s height using a pencil.

Try these easy ideas for science in the forest.

Find out why leaves change colour in autumn.

Beech tree in autumn

Make a pinecone weather station, using just pinecones!

Find out how tall a tree is without climbing it. This is great fun to do when you’re out on a walk. People will definitely wonder what you’re doing!

How tall is a tree?

Do you have any more tree-themed science activities we could try? What have I missed?

Find out how old a tree is with these three methods of finding out. #treescience #howoldisatree

Last Updated on August 7, 2023 by Emma Vanstone

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Safety Notice

Science Sparks ( Wild Sparks Enterprises Ltd ) are not liable for the actions of activity of any person who uses the information in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources. Science Sparks assume no liability with regard to injuries or damage to property that may occur as a result of using the information and carrying out the practical activities contained in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources.

These activities are designed to be carried out by children working with a parent, guardian or other appropriate adult. The adult involved is fully responsible for ensuring that the activities are carried out safely.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Actually Mummy

    June 03, 2013 at 4:26 pm

    Oooh that is weird – tell me, I can’t guess!

    Reply

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