Scientists have been studying trees for hundreds of years. They can tell the age of the tree, the climate, floods, insect-damage and even if there was a forest fire by examining the trees. Determining the age of tree by counting annual rings is called Dendrochronology. "Dendro-" is Greek for tree. "Chron-" means time. And, "-ology" is the study of. Here are some methods scientists use to tell a tree's age.
Look for a fallen tree nearby that is the same as the one you wish to know the age. Scientists use these statistics to avoid having to chop down and kill a tree. If the downed tree is similar in width and height, then it can be used to give a close estimate of age.
Whorl around the tree. Another way to tell the age of some trees is to count the whorls around it. A whorl is the circular growth of branches in the same spot around the tree trunk. As the tree gets older, it will lose its whorls and markings will be left behind. Count from the bottom whorl up to tell how old it is.
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