What can you learn about a tree trunk? How to determine the type of wood, studying materials

The life years of trees in temperate and cold latitudes can be determined by the cross-section of their trunks by counting tree rings(annual layers). This layer, as a rule, corresponds to the growth of wood during one growing season. The wood that appears in spring and early summer is noticeably different from the later wood that appears in late summer and fall.

When a tree just begins to vegetate, thenin woodmany wide-lumen vessels are formed. In autumn, the vessels form narrow, and the skin itself becomes denser and darker. Usually the transition from early wood to late wood is gradual, but the transition from late to early wood is quite clearly visible, and the boundaries between them are clearly visible to the naked eye. Each ring usually corresponds to one year. Although sometimes so-called false rings occur. This happens if, due to unfavorable summer (drought or cold), it begins to vegetate in the fall.

This is what happened in Türi (Estonia) on August 25, 1818. During a thunderstorm, lightning struck a 25-meter oak tree; the affected tree was cut into pieces. And then it turned out that the concentric layers of oak wood, under the influence of lightning, peeled off from each other and freely extended like a telescopic antenna.

The oldest giant trees

Since the thickness of the trunk increases every year, it would seem that long-livers should be looked for among thick trees. Indeed, for a long time the giant trees growing in North America were considered the oldest - sequoias and sequoiadendrons.

Sequoias are giant trees: the height is about one hundred meters, the trunk diameter reaches 8.5 m. One such sequoia was cut with a seven-meter saw for almost two weeks, and it took 30 railway platforms to transport the wood of this tree. Two more interesting facts. In Sequoia National Park (USA), on the stump of a gigantic sequoia tree, cut down in the middle of the 19th century, enterprising Americans set up a summer dance floor, which simultaneously accommodated 16 pairs of dancers, 20 spectators and 4 musicians.

In Yosemite National Park (20 km from San Francisco) grows the famous sequoia "Wahwonah" - the great conifer tree. In 1881, in place of a huge hollow in its trunk, a tunnel 8.7 m long, 2.5 m wide and 3 m high was made.

Among these giant trees of the flora, the sequoia was discovered, whose age was 2125 years. For a long time it was considered the oldest tree.Sequoiadendron (Wellingtonia, mammoth tree) has even more impressive dimensions; its trunk diameter reaches 10 m; it grows in California on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada.

Relatively recently, the palm tree among long-lived trees was lost to the intermountain bristlecone pine, which grows on the rocky slopes of the White Mountains (western North America). No one imagined that, in general, small trees (up to 10 m in height) were of such a respectable age. In 1955, one of these pine trees was cut down for scientific research. When they calculated its age using tree rings, scientists were extremely surprised: bristlecone pine is 4900 years old! The researchers had no choice but to blame themselves for their indiscretion and regret what they had done.

But the rest of the old-time pines were studied with extreme caution and since 1958 they have been taken under state protection. Among the long-lived pines, there were many trees whose age exceeded 4 thousand years. All four-thousander trees received their own names: “Alpha” - the very first discovered tree over 4 thousand years old, “Patriarch” - the thickest tree of bristlecone pines (trunk diameter 3.5 m), “Methuselah” - the oldest living tree, he is 4600 years old (according to biblical legends, Methuselah lived the longest among people - 969 years).

The annual rings of bristlecone pine are so dense that they are indistinguishable to the naked eye. This is not surprising: after all, over a hundred years, the diameter of the trunk increases by no more than 2.5 cm. And in one of the sections of the cut, only 12 cm long, they counted 1,100 growth rings. So the most ancient bristlecone pines appeared on Earth when the pharaohs began building the first pyramids in Egypt.

Tree rings determine not only the age of a tree

Today, to determine the age of a tree, there is no need to cut it down. Dendrochronologists - specialists in "reading" tree rings - use a gimlet to drill out columns of wood as thick as a lead and then examine them under a microscope.

And Japanese inventors have designed a portable X-ray machine with which you can take pictures of the diameter of the trunk without causing even the slightest harm to the tree; From these photographs, experts determine not only the age of the tree, but also its health (to what extent this word can be applied to the tree).

The width of the tree's growth rings varies from year to year, so the totality of all the rings is a chronicle in which a connoisseur can read

Is it necessary to decipher the tree record? Of course it is necessary, because it helps to reveal some secrets of the past. For a long time, American historians were worried about the mystery of the rock city built in the 13th century. in Mesa Verde (USA, California). Why did the inhabitants leave it? As the tree rings of the logs, without which, of course, the structures of the ancient city could not do, told, this happened due to many years of drought. everything: air temperature fluctuations, precipitation, forest fires, pest invasion, death of neighboring trees. The width of each individual ring is also not the same everywhere; it depends on the position of the tree relative to the sun, its shading by neighboring trees, the direction of the winds, and the like.

Determine the age of trees by tree rings first proposed by Leonardo da Vinci; he also suggested that their width depends on the climate. The connection between the growth of tree rings and meteorological factors - air temperature and precipitation - was first pointed out by Russian scientists A. N. Beketov and F. N. Shvedov in the second half of the 19th century. American researchers from the dendrochronological laboratory of Arizona State University established from the annual layers of bristlecone pine that in the west of North America in 1453, 1601, 1884, 1902, 1941 and 1965. the summer was abnormally cold. Data for 1941 and 1965 coincide with the observations of meteorologists. The fact is that in years with cold summers, the activity of the cambium (the connective tissue that produces wood) is weak. Damage to wood cells formed in summer indicates the invasion of cold air masses.

Thus, by studying the growth rings of bristlecone pines and the preserved fragments of dead wood from these trees, American scientists compiled a consolidated climate calendar of western North America, where up to 6200 BC. e. characterized every year.

Similar studies were conducted in the former Soviet Union. There used to be a dendroclimatochronological laboratory at the Botanical Institute of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences. It was there that they created a dendroscale covering 900 years. By the rings of the old cedar, discovered in Altai, scientists have established what the climate was like in these places from 1020 to 1979. The cedar dendroscale clearly shows how 11-year cycles of solar activity affect the climate. They also noticed 80-90-year rhythms, the cause of which has not yet been finally determined.

And in the journal Nature for 1976, a report appeared on a new method for determining the climate of past centuries using tree rings. It has been established that the ratio of isotopes of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen in the earth's atmosphere depends on its temperature. So, by calculating the isotopic composition of each wood ring, it is possible to calculate the average annual temperatures of long ago years. Only for this it is necessary to establish a quantitative relationship between the isotopic composition of annual layers and the known average annual temperature.

Scientists from England, Germany, and the USA worked on the creation of a wood thermometer. They carried out their research in England, where they began recording ambient temperature first - about 300 years ago. Not far from the places where temperatures were recorded, ancient oak trees and fir and analyzed the isotope content in the rings. This is how the scale of the wood thermometer was calibrated.The study of old-growth trees helped to find out what the weather was like several centuries ago, when they had no idea that heat and cold could be measured.

But tree rings can tell not only about the climate of past centuries coniferous plants. American scientists have found that they also record large volcanic eruptions. After all, during an eruption, a large mass of volcanic ash and dust is released into the upper layers of the atmosphere, which can remain in the atmosphere for two to three years. The smallest solid particles block the sun's rays, so it gets colder on the ground.

By studying bristlecone pines, scientists confirmed the eruption of Mount Etna in 44 BC. e. This is the only eruption recorded in tree rings in 42 BC. BC: it took two years to drive a cloud of volcanic dust and ash from Sicily to America.

The date of the eruption of Etna is well known to scientists, but about another major eruption of the Santorini volcano, which destroyed the Minoan culture on the island. Crete, historians had a dispute. Some believed that the Santorini volcano erupted between 1700 and 1450. n. e., others - between 1500 and 1300. BC e. Using the annual rings of bristlecone pines, dendrochronologists have determined that the Santorini volcano erupted between 1628 and 1626. BC e.

About ten years ago, the American botanist A. G. Jacoby suggested that by looking at the tree rings of trees growing in areas with seismic activity, one can determine when an earthquake occurred and even how strong it was.

In his reasoning, he is based on the fact that an earthquake usually changes the conditions in which the forest grew: the root system is damaged, the supply of groundwater to the trees changes, and so on. Naturally, these factors affect the growth of the tree and should be recorded in the growth rings. Indeed, earthquakes are marked by dark rings extended on one side.

Soviet scientist N.V. Lovelius suggested that the rings of old-time trees should contain information about supernova explosions in the Galaxy. He studied cuttings of two such trees: juniper (tree-like juniper) and Amur larch. When the annual layers of juniper, discovered high in the mountains of Central Asia, were counted, it became clear that this plant was born in 1163 and lived for 807 years. During this time, three supernova explosions occurred - in 1572, 1604, 1700. and these explosions had an impact on the Earth's biosphere. The supernova explosion slowed down the growth of trees: the inhibition reached its maximum 15-16 years after the explosion; 30 years later, tree growth returned to normal.What physiological processes are disrupted under the influence of a supernova explosion has not yet been established.

By reading the ring history, other information can be gleaned. For example, trees can tell us about the degree of air pollution in different years. American physicists use tree rings to determine the consequences of nuclear tests. Chemists, analyzing the chemical composition of tree rings, study the distribution of trace elements in different periods.

Every time we re-read our favorite book, we find something new in it that we had not noticed before. So it is with the chronicle of annual layers: years will pass and, perhaps, someone will read it in a new way and discover for us a completely different content of this wooden chronicle written by Nature.

Even in ancient times, people endowed trees with special power, energy that could be transferred to people. Nowadays, the unique abilities of trees have been proven by biophysicists. How do trees affect us? Which tree should you go to for help? How to choose your tree?

Trees heal in different ways

All trees can be divided into two groups: donor trees and vampire trees. The former feed a person with energy, the latter take it away. However, this does not mean at all that donor trees are good and vampire trees are bad. Trees of both the first and second groups are useful for people - you just need to use their services in a certain state of the body.

If a person suffers from migraines, hyperfunction of the thyroid gland, osteochondrosis, or has injuries, he needs to “pump out” energy with the help of a vampire tree. Problems with diseases of the respiratory tract, digestive system, arthritis, rheumatism, stress, loss of strength, depression will be solved by feeding donor trees.

Trees that provide energy include birch, rowan, acacia, oak, pine, linden, maple, and all fruit trees during the flowering period. Trees that take energy: aspen, poplar, willow, bird cherry, chestnut, alder.

How to determine the right tree?

To determine which tree is in front of you - a donor or a vampire, and what - "pumping out" or "feeding" energy - you need, conduct two simple experiments.

First way. Slowly bring your palm to the tree from a distance of 1.5 meters. Listen to your feelings. If you feel warmth, a slight tingling sensation, or resistance in your palm, then this is a donor tree. If there is a feeling of coolness in the palm, an attraction to the trunk, then this is a vampire tree.

Second way. Take a strip of foil 10-15 cm long and 2-5 mm wide. Rub it lightly with your fingers. Grasp one end of the foil with two fingers and slowly approach the tree. If the other end of the foil deviates from the tree, this is the tree giving off energy; if they reach for a tree, this tree is an energy consumer.

There is also a more individual selection of wood. For example, it is believed that each person, depending on his zodiac sign, corresponds to a certain tree. Aries - plum, Taurus - myrtle, Gemini - laurel, Cancer - willow, Leo - oak, Virgo - apple tree, Libra - beech, Scorpio - rowan, Sagittarius - palm tree, Capricorn - pine, Aquarius - fig, Pisces - elm. There is also a separate horoscope of the Druids, according to which “one’s” tree is also determined depending on the date of birth, but the numbers and the corresponding trees in this horoscope are completely different.

It has long been believed that there are trees that are “favorable” to a person depending on his gender and age. So, a man prefers an oak tree, a woman prefers a linden tree, and a young girl prefers a birch tree. And spruce was generally considered a sacred tree.

How to communicate with a tree?

It’s very simple - as with a living person, a friend, a helper in trouble, a natural healer. Say hello when you meet and say goodbye when you leave. Talk to him, look after him, stroke him lightly. Just feel like a part of nature and try to merge with it. You can simply hug “your” tree, touch the trunk with your chest, or sit down, leaning your back against it, pressing the back of your head. Try to “apply” to the tree trunk the part of the body that is problematic. Try to feel the tree, its strength, energy, its vital juices. And then the tree will definitely reciprocate and reveal to you the secrets of its great power given to it by nature. And illnesses, grievances, fears, bad moods will leave you, giving way to peace and tranquility.

Where to find “your” tree?

You don’t have to go to the forest to find a suitable tree. It is enough to visit a park or square. Perhaps “your” tree grows right next to your house? If you have a private house, then you can afford to plant “your” tree in the garden, having previously identified it for yourself.

If there is no suitable tree nearby, do not despair. Not only the tree itself is healing, but also its branches, logs, and dies. They can be prepared for future use and stored at home. You need to apply the dies to the sore spot for 10 minutes for five days. After a one-day break, the procedure should be repeated.

The knowledge of our ancestors about trees reaches us. The ancestors’ beliefs in the healing power of trees have already been proven by biophysicists, and in medicine there is even such a direction - dendrotherapy (treatment with the help of trees). We should not neglect the gifts generously given to us by nature. Find your tree, feel united with it, take advantage of its healing properties.

How old is that huge tree in the yard? If you do not know the exact date of planting, you can estimate the age of the tree by the diameter of the trunk. This is the easiest, although inaccurate, method. If the tree is an evergreen species, count the number of whorls, or rows of branches. In deciduous trees, the branches do not form regular rows, so this method is only applicable to evergreens. Counting tree rings provides the most accurate results, but requires cutting down the tree. However, growth rings can be counted without destroying the tree; it is enough to take a sample of the wood using an incremental drill.

Steps

Age estimation based on trunk radius

1. Measure the circumference of the trunk at the height of your chest. In forestry, it is believed that the average chest height is 1.4 meters from ground level. Wrap a measuring tape around the trunk at this height and record the measured circumference.

   • If the tree is growing on a sloping piece of land, measure 1.4 meters from the uphill side and place a mark on the trunk, then do the same on the downhill side. The average chest height will be midway between these marks.
   • If the trunk branches below the height of 1.4 meters, measure the circumference directly below the branching point.

2. Find diameter and barrel radius. To determine the diameter, divide the measured circumference by pi, which is approximately 3.14. After this, find the radius: to do this, simply divide the resulting diameter by 2.

   • Suppose the girth (circumference) of the trunk is 390 centimeters, then its diameter is approximately 124 centimeters and its radius is about 62 centimeters.

3. Subtract 0.6 to 2.5 centimeters to account for bark thickness. For a thick-barked species, such as oak, subtract 2.5 centimeters from the radius. If the tree has thin bark (for example, birch), it is enough to subtract 0.6 centimeters. If you're unsure and want a rough estimate, subtract 1.3 centimeters from the radius.

   • If you leave out the bark, you will end up with additional thickness, which will overestimate the estimated age of the tree.

4. Estimate the width of the growth rings from nearby fallen trees. Look nearby for stumps or felled trees of the same species. If you can see the growth rings on them, measure the radius of the fallen trunk and count the number of growth rings. Then divide the barrel radius by the number of rings - this will give you the average width of one ring.

   • Suppose you found a stump or a fallen trunk nearby with a radius of 64 centimeters and counted 125 rings on its cut. In this case, the average width of the ring will be 0.51 centimeters.
   • The growth rate depends on the type of tree and environmental conditions. A living tree probably grew at about the same rate as a nearby tree of the same species.
   • To estimate the age of a tree, you should substitute the results of measurements of the average width of the rings (or the average growth rate if you were unable to find fallen trees) into the formula.
   • Even if you know the average width of the rings, you can estimate age not only by it, but also by the average growth rate, and then compare the results.

5. If necessary, look up the average growth rate of a particular species. If you are unable to find stumps or fallen trunks nearby, search the Internet for the average growth rate of the corresponding tree species. To get more accurate results, please enter your location when searching.

   • For example, for oak, ash, beech and white maple, the average annual circumference growth rate is about 1.3–1.9 centimeters. If you don't know what species the tree is, substitute 1.3 and then 1.9 into the equation to determine the range of age to estimate.
   • For a more accurate estimate, consider the location where the tree grows. In open areas, the growth rate is usually higher and amounts to 1.9–2.5 centimeters per year. In cities and dense forests, trees grow more slowly.
   • Be careful and pay attention to how the growth rate is calculated. In many sources it is given as an increase in the circumference of the trunk per year. However, it is also possible to find growth rates expressed in annual increase in trunk radius.

6. Divide the radius by the average width of the growth rings. If you manage to find a stump or fallen trunk nearby, divide the radius of a living tree by the average width of the rings.

   • Let's say that after excluding the bark, the radius is 60 centimeters, and from the nearby stump you determine that the average width of the growth ring is 0.5 centimeters.
   • Divide 60 by 0.5 to get 120 years.

7. Divide the girth of the trunk (its circumference) by the average annual growth rate. If you have found the growth rate expressed in annual increase in trunk circumference, divide the measured circumference by this value.

   • Let's assume the trunk circumference is 390 centimeters and the annual growth rate is in the range of 1.9–2.5 centimeters. Divide 390 by 1.9, then divide 390 by 2.5. This will give you an age of 156–205 years.

Whorl counting

1. Estimate the age of a coniferous tree by the number of whorls. Whorls are rows of branches located at approximately the same height. This method is only suitable for evergreen conifers; it gives little accuracy for broad-leaved trees such as oak or maple. It is less accurate than counting tree rings, but allows you to estimate the age of a tree without harming it.

   • Coniferous trees produce new rows of branches at regular intervals each year. However, deciduous trees do not produce new branches regularly, so this method is not suitable for them.
   • It is easiest to count whorls on young coniferous trees. Tall, mature trees may not have visible tops and may grow less regularly.

2. Count the number of rows of branches located at the same height. Find the lowest row of branches, which should be followed by a smooth trunk, and then the next row of branches. These rows are whorls - count their number to the very top of the tree.

   • There may be separate branches between the whorls, or some adjacent whorls may be located close to each other. This irregular growth indicates damage or unusual weather conditions, so ignore these branches.

3. Include possible knots and knots at the base of the trunk in your calculations. Inspect the area below the first row of branches: it may contain signs of original growth. Pay attention to the knots and knots on the trunk where branches could previously grow - they should be added to the number of whorls.

   • Suppose a tree has 8 clearly visible whorls. Below the first row of branches, several branches are visible that protrude from the trunk at approximately the same level. In addition, below these knots there are 2 or 3 knots. These extra knots and knots need to be taken into account and you will end up with 10 whorls.

4. Add 2 to 4 years to account for the seedling's growth period. During the first few years, the tree sprouts from a seed and develops into a sapling, and only then begins to send out branches in the form of whorls. Add 2 to 4 whorls to account for this early growth period.

   • If you count 10 whorls, including the early period, it will be 12–14 years.

Counting growth rings on a trunk cut

1. Check if the rings are visible on the cut of the barrel. The number of rings indicates how many years the tree has lived. The rings are visible as alternating darker and lighter stripes. One year of a tree's life corresponds to one light and dark stripe. Dark stripes are more visible, so it is easier to count their number.

   • Tree rings can also tell us about weather conditions in a particular year. Thinner rings correspond to colder or drier years, while relatively thick rings represent more favorable weather conditions.

2. Sand the cut of the barrel so you can see the rings better. If the rings are difficult to see, start by rubbing the cut of the barrel with coarse 60-grit sandpaper, then gradually increase the number and finish with fine 400-grit paper. After this, lightly spray the cut with water and the rings will appear more clearly.

   • It is possible that some rings will fit tightly together and be difficult to distinguish. In this case, you can use a magnifying glass.

3. Count the number of rings from the pith to the bark. Find the core, that is, the small circle in the center of the concentric rings. Start counting from the first dark ring that surrounds the core. Continue counting the rings until you reach the bark. The last ring should be close to the bark and will be difficult to see, but try to include it in your calculations.

   • If you're having trouble keeping track of which ring you're on, try using a pencil to mark it every 10 rings.

Not only special devices, but also Mother Nature herself, who has a lot of features, can help in determining your location and calculating the sides of the horizon. But this type of terrain orientation is used only in rare cases, since the reliability of this method is much lower than elementary ones.

Orientation by plants

Moss

Perhaps this is one of the most accurate ways to determine the North-South route. After all, moss and lichens grow exclusively on the northern side, and their ability to grow in the shade makes it possible to navigate the area not only with the help of trees and wooden buildings, but also with the help of large stones.

Tree bark

If you look closely at the tree bark, you will notice that on the north side it is always much darker and rougher. Of course, one tree will not show you the exact direction, but a group of trees will cope with this task almost perfectly.

Take, for example, the trunk of a pine tree. After a rainstorm, it begins to actively darken. And this phenomenon always originates from the north side. And all because the bark of coniferous trees has a secondary crust, which tends to form in shaded places and swell.

And in hot weather, pine can be just as useful. The main thing is to carefully determine which side of the trunk releases the largest amount of resin. This sign will point you in the south direction.

Grass

Even grass can become a good guide for a traveler. It is worth remembering that in open clearings the grass will grow thicker and more actively from the north. If you start from separate natural objects (stones, stumps, trees), then it is worth considering that in this case the grass will grow thicker on the south side. But it retains its greenness and richness, of course, from the north.

Orientation by artificial objects: Clearings

Often, huge forests are separated by clearings, with the help of which you can easily determine all four cardinal directions. Their felling takes place in a stationary mode from North to South and from West to East.

The territory is marked by a network of quarter posts. Before installation, their tops are cut off and the number of the clearing to which this or that post corresponds is burned (painted). Accordingly, the countdown from the first pillar is North-Western direction, from the last - South-East.

The quarterly network greatly facilitates not only the implementation of various tasks of forestry enterprises, but also orientation on the terrain for travelers. So this method is very simple and convenient in practice.

If you follow these simple rules, then finding your way around the area will not be difficult, and, therefore, the path will be easy and pleasant.

Travel with pleasure!