Windsor Castle Park Forest Information
Question: Do you know other ways to tell the age of the trees you see?
Question: Do you know other ways to tell the age of the trees you see?
- Trees grow approximately 1 inch of new trunk every year. The size of the tree in inches is an estimate of the tree's age in years. For example, if your tree has a 12-inch circumference, it is about 12 years old.
- Count the tree's annual growth rings. Unfortunately, when we encounter a living tree, we can’t see its rings. Professionals can use a tool called an increment borer to age trees harmlessly. The increment borer is essentially a narrow, T-shaped hollow-bit steel drill with threads on the outside. Scientists place the bit on the bark near the base of a tree and crank it repeatedly, driving it into the trunk. Once the bit reaches the center of the tree, the researcher extracts it along with a roughly 5-millimeter-wide cylinder of wood that, ideally, contains a sliver of each growth ring. The process can be compared to an arboreal biopsy, and the tree quickly heals over the small puncture wound. To make your measurement more accurate, compare a core or cross section of the tree trunk to others from the surrounding area to account for missing or extra rings.
- Counting Branch Whorls. Many evergreen trees, like pines, spruces, and firs, have whorled branches that form a circular pattern around the growing tip. Each whorl represents one year of growth, which means that counting the number of whorls can help us determine the age of these trees, especially for young evergreen trees.
- Counting the Rings on a Stump. Start in the middle of the stump or cross-section of wood and count the first dark ring you see. Continue counting outwards from the middle ring until you reach the last dark ring. The total number of dark rings represents the age of the tree in years. Don't count the bark of the tree as a dark ring.
Red Heart Fungus - Pathogen. Red ring rot of conifers (also known as white pocket rot, ring scale, red heart and pencil rot) is caused by the fungal pathogen Porodaedalea. Potential signs include conks (fruiting bodies of the fungus) growing on the tree, often at the site of an old injury or branch removal. On the inside, the wood becomes discolored and degrades, which can sometimes be seen in fallen trees or during tree removal.
The trees that have been identified in the park are listed below. Look for the new Tree ID signs being installed this fall (2024). Click on the the tree name to view detailed information about each tree.
- Alleghany Chinkapin
- American Holly
- American Beech
- American Chestnut
- Black Cherry
- Black Oak
- Black Walnut
- Blackgum
- Cherrybark Oak
- Chinese Elm
- Common Persimmon
- Dawn Redwood
- Eastern RedCedar
- Flowering Dogwood
- Hackberry
- Loblolly Pine
- Longleaf Pine
- Mountain Laurel
- Muscadine Grape
- Post Oak
- Scarlet Oak
- Shortleaf Pine
- Sourwood
- Southern Red Oak
- Swamp White Oak
- Sweet Gum
- Virginia Pine
- White Oak
- Yellow Poplar
Virginia Cooperative Extension is a partnership of Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments. Its programs and employment are open to all, regardless of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, ethnicity or national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or military status, or any other basis protected by law. If you are a person with a disability and desire assistance or accommodation, please notify the Isle of Wight Extension Office at (757) 365-62619/TDD*) during business hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. *TDD number is (800) 828-1120.
