"Martin" wrote in message
...
On 5 Feb 2006 09:54:04 -0800, "La Puce" wrote:


Rusty Hinge 2 wrote:
Get some slim glass nails over 2½ feet long and hammer them into the
tree with a rubber mallet.
Shine a torch into the shaft of the nail and count the rings?

Just ask the bloody neighbours!!

LOL

http://www.iit.edu/~smile/cb0598.htm
"The age of the tree can be approximated by using the measuring tape
to obtain the girth of the trunk at a point five feet above the base
of the tree. This number is basically the age of the tree but bear in
mind that this method does not work on saplings. Where possible the
use of the tree-ring method on a cut tree could provide verification
for the accuracy of this activity"

"But ageing by ring counts often means felling the tree. Foresters do
use increment borers to take a core sample about the width of a pencil
from the outside to the centre of a living tree - that core or plug is
then carefully extracted and the annual rings counted. The hole is
then plugged again.



http://www.rfs.org.uk/thirdlevel.asp...SecondLevel=66

"You can also get a pretty good idea of a tree's age from the girth of
its trunk - how fat it is. Trees will grow at different rates
depending on how good soil, shelter or climate are and if they enjoy
space to grow freely or are hemmed in by neighbours. Trees grow faster
when young and slow down in later life. Some species of tree are
inherently fast growing.

But as a good guide, broad leaved trees like oak, ash, beech and
sycamore in UK woodlands put on about 1.5 to 2cm in circumference or
girth per year. In open conditions, like parkland, the growth rate
will be nearer 2.5cm annually. So by measuring the trunk circumference
and dividing by 1.5, 2 or 2.5, you can make an informed guesstimate of
age.

This is Mitchell's Rule, named after the late world famous UK tree
expert, Alan Mitchell."
--
Martin

Thanks that's what I wanted. I still might try the glass nail method.