How to Calculate the Age of a Beech Tree
A beech tree is an extremely long-lived tree with a habitat that spans most of the eastern part of the country from Texas and Oklahoma east to Maine. Some varieties of beech have been recorded to be more than 250 years old. If you have a large beech specimen, you may be tempted to find out the age. Although you can take a core sample and count the tree rings without cutting down the tree, core samples can still open the beech to infection or insect infestation. A safer method for estimating the age of a beech tree is to measure the tree’s girth.
Measure a tree from its base to a point 4 feet up from the base. This will be roughly chest-high on most adults.
- A beech tree is an extremely long-lived tree with a habitat that spans most of the eastern part of the country from Texas and Oklahoma east to Maine.
- A safer method for estimating the age of a beech tree is to measure the tree’s girth.
Measure the diameter around the tree at this 4-foot high location.
Multiply the girth width in centimeters by .45 to get the tree’s age if the circumference of a beech is up to 400 cm in size.
Multiply the girth width in centimeters by .5 to get the tree’s age if the circumference of a beech is more than 400 cm in size.
Guess The Age Of A Beech Tree?
The beech is a grand shade tree for big backyards. Its straight, gray trunk rises to some 80 feet tall and the branches develop a similar spread. Fortunately, it is possible to estimate a beech's age without being destructive if you measure the circumference of the tree in inches at chest height. Divide that number by 3.14 to get the diameter, then multiply it by 6. The answer is a rough approximation of the tree's age. If you are just installing a new beech tree on your property, plant it appropriately the first time since the tree's deep tap root doesn't transplant well. Beeches prefer soil with a high loam content to lighter earth. The thin silver bark offers little protection to the beech from fire damage or sun scald. In the wild, the beech blight aphid (Fagiphagus imbricator), and the giant bark aphid (Longistigma caryae) are enemies of the beech.
- Measure the diameter around the tree at this 4-foot high location.
- Multiply the girth width in centimeters by .45 to get the tree’s age if the circumference of a beech is up to 400 cm in size.
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Writer Bio
Tracy Morris has been a freelance writer since 2000. She has published novels and numerous online articles. Her work has appeared in national magazines and newspapers including "Ferrets," "CatFancy," "Lexington Herald Leader" and "The Tulsa World." She holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from the University of Arkansas.
