The Forestry Forum

General Forestry => Ask The Forester => Topic started by: gpa on February 18, 2008, 03:41:18 PM

Title: How do you determine the age of southern cypress tree?
Post by: gpa on February 18, 2008, 03:41:18 PM
The tree is down so do I just count the rings?  15 to 20 per inch.  hard to count  tight rings. 38in . dia.
Title: Re: How do you determine the age of southern cypress tree?
Post by: Texas Ranger on February 18, 2008, 04:11:45 PM
Yup, thats the basic of it.  You may need a hand lens to really tell the ring count.
Title: Re: How do you determine the age of southern cypress tree?
Post by: gpa on February 18, 2008, 04:18:40 PM
thanks   
Title: Re: How do you determine the age of southern cypress tree?
Post by: SwampDonkey on February 18, 2008, 06:06:01 PM
Sounds like an old one. I have a white ash with 22-28 rings to the inch. In my gallery someplace with a scale beside it. It was about 18-22 inches I think at breast height. My memory gets foggy concerning the specific stats as time passes. I know it was a dominant tree and for a intermediate shade tolerant tree is sure grew slow. 200 year old tree at least.
Title: Re: How do you determine the age of southern cypress tree?
Post by: Tom on February 18, 2008, 07:09:12 PM
That may or may not give you the actual age.  Cypress is on of the trees that is noted for having "False" Rings.  The reason, it is supposed, is because it lives in such a wet footed invironment.   Recognizing False rings is a specialty. I've seen them pointed out to me in Pine and have been told that the longivity of Cypress has been exagerated because False rings were counted as annual rings.   Texas Ranger Might be able to expound on it a little.  I've said all I know.  :)
Title: Re: How do you determine the age of southern cypress tree?
Post by: SwampDonkey on February 18, 2008, 07:20:08 PM
If i recall a sign of that growth is exceptionally wide earlywood and narrower latewood bands in between. I'm not real sure on that explanation though. Brobably Google would have some explanations. Generally earlywood width is same in fast grown as in slow grown wood of a species.
Title: Re: How do you determine the age of southern cypress tree?
Post by: SwampDonkey on February 18, 2008, 07:22:20 PM
It's bene my expereince that trees growing in very wet environments are slow growing. I see it in balsam, white cedar, red maple, black ash, mountain swamp yellow cedar, lodge pole pine on swamps. and so on.
Title: Re: How do you determine the age of southern cypress tree?
Post by: SwampDonkey on February 18, 2008, 07:30:59 PM
I guess a more accurate description is that real rings show an abrupt change from latewood of one year into earlywood of the next. If under magnification you see a transition of more pourous tissue from the latewood into what looks like earlywood, then it is false. Latewood is denser wood.
Title: Re: How do you determine the age of southern cypress tree?
Post by: Don P on February 18, 2008, 08:59:45 PM
That's what I remember from the descriptions accompanying pine micrographs of false rings, the abrupt change. I don't know if that holds true for other woods or if I'd notice in a pine. I'd live large and claim em all if its just for fun.
Title: Re: How do you determine the age of southern cypress tree?
Post by: gpa on February 18, 2008, 09:10:28 PM
thanks yall,  but  I need glasses just to read so I will need  a heavy duty mag.lens to get his done.  he he
Title: Re: How do you determine the age of southern cypress tree?
Post by: SwampDonkey on February 18, 2008, 09:15:20 PM
Know anyone in college doing dendrochronology? Slice them off a cookie. ;D
Title: Re: How do you determine the age of southern cypress tree?
Post by: ellmoe on February 19, 2008, 09:35:59 PM
   Research at the U of Florida (Dr. Kathy Ewell) in the late 70' early 80's determined that there was not an accurate way to age  cypress trees. They even had a grad student studing the trees at the microscopic level, no success.  If I can recall correctly cypress can "lay" as many as 15 rings in a year.

Mark
Title: Re: How do you determine the age of southern cypress tree?
Post by: Don P on February 19, 2008, 11:23:40 PM
Wow  :o.
Are there any other common trees that do that? Is it wet/dry related?
Title: Re: How do you determine the age of southern cypress tree?
Post by: ellmoe on February 20, 2008, 07:10:17 AM
DSon,

   I don't know about any other species that do that. I've working with cypress from "seed to board" for a while now and so have had more than a minimum interest in its physiology.

Mark
Title: Re: How do you determine the age of southern cypress tree?
Post by: SwampDonkey on February 20, 2008, 07:31:30 AM
You see it in species that have lamas shoot growth, and most that I'm aware of in my area only have one lamas growth if any in a given year since we have a short season. Every time you get a bud flush you get 'early wood'.
Title: Re: How do you determine the age of southern cypress tree?
Post by: gpa on February 23, 2008, 02:41:48 PM
so, if they can lay as many as 15 rings  in a year and  some are  considered false ?? and the tree grows  so slow  a,  50 year old tree may have 150 to 500 rings!!!!!
I will guess by the size it is older than me?
Title: Re: How do you determine the age of southern cypress tree?
Post by: zopi on February 23, 2008, 02:49:00 PM
Dunno how old it is but I wish it were here.. ;D I am about to go outside and skid three cypress about that size up to the mill..gotta make mamas floors or she  might get unhappy... ;D