Can you tell the age of a tree without counting the rings?

Everyone, of course, knows how to count the rings of a tree trunk which has been cut down. Counting from the outside, each ring repre~ Bents the growth of one season in the life of the. tree.

This is a simple enough way to tell the age of a tree. But it '' has one catch. The tree must be sliced across the trunk before you can see the rings to count. There are times when you would like to be able to tell the age of a tree while it still stands, "This giant Douglas fir is a veteran of 70 seasons." "That little oak has been growing no longer than ten years."

The only way you can learn to do this is from experience. And

I even then your best guess can be only an estimate. The trick is to practice counting tree rings. Search the patches of felled lumber aid study the size of the trees which fall. Count the rings of big tree and little trees. If you count enough of them and study the size of them, you will in time learn to guess the age of a fallen tree without counting its rings. Then is the time to start guessing at the ages of the giant