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Big trees, old trees, and growth factor tables

Informally Refereed

Abstract

The potential for a tree to reach a great size and to live a long life frequently captures the public's imagination. Sometimes the desire to know the age of an impressively large tree is simple curiosity. For others, the date-of-tree establishment can make a big diff erence for management, particularly for trees at historic sites or those mentioned in property deeds, literature or historical documents. If we know with certainty that a tree is 150 years old, we can be sure that the shade of that tree didn't inspire a poet or revolutionary from 200 years ago. We know that trees tend to increase in size as they age. Can age be determined for mature landscape trees by simply measuring tree circumference or diameter?

Citation

Smith, Kevin T. 2018. Big trees, old trees, and growth factor tables. Tree Care Industry. 29(2): 36-38.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/55655