It is important to realize that trees are living beings and they are our elders. Some trees in your neighborhood may have been growing in the woods when your great grandfather was alive. One way you can gain more respect and caring for trees is to find out how old they are. This week, I teamed up with Jeff Saslow, an Enrichment teacher for the St. Louis Park Schools, and made a step-by-step video showing how to age a tree.
Note: If you are interested in a virtual live-interactive program with Larry Wade, don’t hesitate to contact me.
What is the diameter? The diameter is the distance through the center of the tree. The formula: Circumference divided by Pi = Diameter was developed over three thousand years ago.
What is Pi? Pi is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter.
Jeff said the first thing you have to do is identify what type of tree you are trying to age. To help you identify the tree go to the previous week’s nature school. The tree identification handouts are there and pictures of tree leaves. Go to:
www.oldnaturalist.com/?page_id=10487
You will also need the Aging Trees Data Sheet and Growth Factor Chart. As you can see the fast growing trees have low growth factors, while the slow growing trees have higher growth factors.
From Nature Seeker Workbook by Lawrence Wade
Click on the link below to download the Data and Growth Charts:
AgingTrees
The five steps to age a tree are:
1. Identify the tree
