How to Find the Age of a Tree That Is Alive?

Foresters generally determine the age of a tree in two ways, by either counting the rings inside the trunk after the tree has been cut or through the use of an incremental borer. An incremental borer is a thin tool that take a small straw-like sample from a tree's trunk to not only determine age but to reveal rot or internal damage. While using an incremental borer is not overly invasive, there are methods of estimating tree age that cause no damage to a tree.

Forestry Manual
Tape measure
Calculator

Instructions

- 1
  Use a forestry tree manual or consult a naturalist to properly determine the species of tree you are measuring. Each species of tree grows at a different rate, called a growth factor. Record the growth factor for reference of the tree you are measuring.
- 2
  Measure the circumference of the tree with the tape measure chest high and mark the size for reference. Chest high is approximately 4.5-feet high.
- 3
  Divide the measurement by pi, or 3.14. Diameter = circumference/3.14. Record the dividend for reference. For example, diameter = 22 inches/3.14, thus the diameter = 7.
- 4
  Refer to the growth factor of the species of tree you are determining the age of and multiply it by the diameter. For example, the growth factor of sugar maple is 5.0. Approximate age = diameter x growth factor. Using the diameter in Step 3; 7 x 5.0 = 35. The sugar maple is approximately 35 years old.

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