If you are the owner of a forested area, knowing its history can be helpful as you maintain the land. In many cases, one of the first steps to discovering the history of a forest is determining the age of the trees in it. Skilled foresters do this in a process called timber dating. If you are interested in learning more about it, the professionals at Neeley Forestry Services in Camden, AR, are here to give you some introductory information.

What Is Timber Dating?

Timber dating, or dendrochronology, is the process of determining the age of a tree. More specifically, it’s an examination of the ring patterns inside of a tree trunk. These rings are formed as the tree’s vascular cambium cells grow outward near the bark. With one growth ring formed per year, this method of timber dating is quite accurate. However, deciphering tree rings requires the expertise of a professional forester with years of experience. Dendrochronology is important to help improve the understanding of possible future environmental issues by learning about the past.

What Do Tree Rings Say About the History of a Forest?

Along with the age of a tree, the width of each ring found in a tree’s trunk also lets foresters know how much rainfall there was during that particular year. This means it’s possible to determine which years experienced high or low rain activity. While timber dating is a widely used process to learn about a forested area, there can be a few uncertainties. For example, if a tree grows near a lake, river, or stream, it might be difficult to analyze the rings to obtain information on rainfall amounts. 

How Do Foresters Complete the Timber Dating Process?

Rather than simply counting the number of rings in a tree trunk, the skeleton plotting technique is used to compare and contrast samples from other trees of the same species. Foresters record the size of only the narrow rings, then place the graph beside similar recordings to see which ones match. If the two graphs have similar patterns, the trees are of similar ages.

Whether you are looking for tips on forest management or are just curious about how trees grow, contact Neeley Forestry Services to speak with a staff member to get the answers to your questions. With over 140 years of combined experience, their dedicated foresters are also experts in timber dating, forest planning, and harvest design. For more information about these services, visit their website or give them a call today at (870) 836-5981.