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TOPIC: Tree ring counting
http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees/browse_thread/thread/b39037b06a32afd5?hl=en
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== 1 of 2 ==
Date: Fri, Jan 11 2008 7:56 pm
From: Daniel P Mcconnell


In my research I glue the cores to a board with a notch which will
"accept" the cylinder, wait for the glue to dry, then sand until nearly
flush with the mounting board with an electric sander eventually to 100
grit. I count with an insect mounting pin, dipped in ink if necessary,
under a compound (dissecting) stereoscope. Works great, unless you
haven't kept track and reached 112... or was it 111, or 113? haha Have
fun. I enjoy aging new individuals of fragrant cliff fern (state
threatened here in Michigan) I have found... more straightforward. Let
me know if anyone is interested in aging ferns!

== 2 of 2 ==
Date: Fri, Jan 11 2008 9:12 pm
From: Carolyn Summers


Ok, can you age cinnamon ferns? Let me guess, by the height of the mound
they make? Perhaps our bog has old growth cinnamon ferns.
--
Carolyn Summers

[ENTS] ENTS Maximum Ages of Eastern Trees

It would be even harder to try to count rings from a photo. The best way to go about it, with minimal equipment, would be to get one of those cheap pair of magnifying glasses at Wal-mart or Target. Get the most powerful. Then use something with a fine point - a sharpened pencil, or a dissecting probe, and use that to keep your place as you count. If you have a cross-section or a core, you can use a piece of tape to make a small mark on it every ten rings or so. Take your time and count multiple times.

There are a number of good tree ring sites on the web. One place to start is: The Ultimate Tree-Ring Web Pages http://web.utk.edu/~grissino/  

For a educational tract try: http://www.plantbio.ohiou.edu/dendro/  Introduction to Dendrochronology.

 Ed