Ageing trees??

[French Creek hunter]

I've been doing some research on dating trees, other than cutting down the actual tree and counting the rings. I usually measure the radius of the tree after measuring 5' from the base of the tree. Divide the inches by one and that should give you the age of the tree. Your now asking what this has to do with metal detecting, well, it has a lot to do with it. If you can age all the trees in the area you can get a clear date on when the area started to become either abandoned or when civilization started to come into the area. I wanted to learn how to do soil samples too, but I figure that takes a lot of scientific objects that I don't have or are too expensive to buy. I plan to get a E-Trac this winter, then I hope I can go to my civil war location once I have a good tree growth guide book and measure me some trees!


Another topic I wanted to ask y'all. If you contact Kellyco and ask for just the E-Trac,bag,and informational guide book. Do you think they would subtract the shovel,head-phones,etc, from the cost of the metal detector? Because all I want is the metal detector basically. I know it's like $1,500 for the whole thing but I hope to get it for $1,300 or so.

 

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[spartacus53]

You do have to keep in mind that various trees do have different growth rates i.e. Hardwood vs. softwood trees. Another thing is the yearly environment, some years they may have a stunted growth due to drought etc.

Look at it this way, if the tree is sizable, it may be old

 

[diggummup]

Divide the inches by one

Why bother dividing by 1? It's the same number. I'm with Spart, you have to take into account the tree's growth factor.

The formula is... Diameter (not radius) x's growth factor= "approx." tree age.

[TABLE="class: small-table, width: 626"]
[TR]
[TH="bgcolor: #D6E1E5"]Tree[/TH]
[TH="bgcolor: #D6E1E5"]Growth Factor
[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR="class: odd, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]American beech[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]6[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: even, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]American beech[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]6[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: odd, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]American elm[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]4[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: even, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]American sycamore[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]4[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: odd, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]Austrian pine[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]4.5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: even, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]Black cherry[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: odd, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]Black maple[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: even, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]Black walnut[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]4.5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: odd, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]Bradford pear (invasive non-native, not recommended)[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: even, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]Common horsechestnut[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]8[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: odd, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]Colorado blue spruce[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]4.5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: even, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]Cottonwood[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]2[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: odd, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]Douglas fir[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: even, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]European beech[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]4[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: odd, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]European white birch[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: even, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]Green ash[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]4[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: odd, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]Ironwood[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]7[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: even, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]Kentucky coffee tree[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: odd, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]Littleleaf linden[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: even, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]Northern red oak[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]4[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: odd, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]Norway maple[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]4.5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: even, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]Norway spruce[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: odd, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]Pin oak[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: even, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]Redbud[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]7[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: odd, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]Red maple[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]4.5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: even, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]Red pine[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]5.5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: odd, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]River birch[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]3.5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: even, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]River birch[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]3.5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: odd, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]Scarlet oak[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]4[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: even, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]Scotch pine[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]3.5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: odd, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]Shagbark hickory[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]7.5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: even, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]Shagbark hickory[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]7.5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]Shingle oak[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]6[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: odd, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]Shingle oak[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]6[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: even, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]Shumard oak[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: odd, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]Silver maple[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: even, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]Sugar maple[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]5.5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: odd, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]Sweet gum[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]4[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: even, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]Tulip tree[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: odd, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]White ash[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: even, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]White fir[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]7.5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: odd, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]White oak[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: even, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]White pine[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #EEF2F4"]5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: odd, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]Yellow buckeye[/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #FFFFFF"]5[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

 

[Frankn]

I go along with the above posts. There are variables to tree growth. There is a core sample tool that removes a plug from a tree to get the annual ring count. It is as accurate as you can get. I personally think you are wasting your time with the tree research. Your time would be better spent looking at the actual history of the area. That gives you a meaningful date. Frank

 

[French Creek hunter]

Good points. I like to find out about the metal detector thing that I asked if anyone wants to reply to that. Thank you Diggumup for the chart, I've been looking for one of those.

 

[Mainelypulltab]

diggummup and spart are correct, many variables involved in guestimating the age of a tree. There is a good book by Tom Wessels called Reading the Forested Landscape. Depending on where you live, this book gives you indicators to look for to help you determine if a certain patch of woods was once a field, a garden, has it been harvested, has there been a fire in the past, etc.... If your hunting the ocean and are wondering how old the palm trees are, this book is most likely not the book you are looking for. As far as Kellyco, I would recommend you call them and ask, the worst they can say is no. Best of luck to you and in my opinion, I think it is good to read about different things you have little knowledge on. As the saying goes, A man who can read and does not is no better than a man who can not read.

 

[Frankn]

Kellyco likes to bundle, but I have purchased jest the detector from them in the past.
I like the saying that goes something like this, You can fish and feed a man for a day, or you can teach him to fish and feed him for a lifetime. Frank