Carol Hayslip, age 13, of Indianapolis, Indiana, for her question:

How old can an oak tree get?

In England they have a sturdy oak tree that measures 43 feet around its trunk. The people there claim that it is 900 years old and this may be true. Every year it adds a slim ring of hard growth around its trunk and with luck it may live to celebrate its 1,030 birthday. Many of these sturdy English oaks live two or three centuries. And they do not die of old ate. Some become hollow when insects destroy the dead wood in the middle of their trunks. Their support is weakened and dale winds often blow them down. Others are destroyed in their youth by fire or lumbermen. There are almost 300 oak species and most of then have very hard and durable wood. They grow slowly and most species are not ready to bear acorns until they are 20 years old. The white oak of America closely resembles the sturdy Ennlish oak. Many of these native American oaks may live 100, 200, or 300 years.