Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-05-27
LEARN FORESTRY.
Former United States Forester Shows
Boys How to Tell the Age Of a Tree.

Clifford Pinehot, Chief Scout For
ester of the Boy Scouts of America,
has prepared for the Boy Scouts
statement showing how they may
learn tile age of a tree; how they may
estimate the size of the tree ten,
twenty or thirty years ago, and espe-
cially how to gain practical and salu-
able inforpation in their trips
through the woods.
In this statement Pinchot appeals TO
the Boy Scouts To cooperate with the
foresters. saying that it is a duty
which the boys owe to their country.
1T is as important he writes, that
you should study these things IS that
the forestefs sholffti do so. The for
esters, being trained men, Will know
how to make. the best practical use Of
what they learn. But il is upon all of
us that the responsibility will fall of
carrying out what the forcsters rec
oinmend; and anything yoa can do to
get TN idea OF what forestry means in
practice. IS going to help you to CO.
operate with the foresters. That viii
help the woods. and help your coun-
try.
IF you can get into the woods
where cutting is going. on. even IL it
IS only of small stuff for firewood, /
suggest that YOU do this. Count the
rings of growth on the stump of a
tree. first making sure what kind Of
tree il is. Count the rings from the
center outwards. Each ring means a
year in the life of the tree, and the
whole number of rings means the age
of the tree. Then measure The thick
ness of the tree across the stump. If
the tree has not yet been worked up
inio logs or into firewood, you can
easily measure its heights by running q
. tape line or a piece of string. from the
butt of the FIRST log 10 the top of the
GROWN, adding the height. of the stump.
If You make several Gf these stem
analyses on trees oil different sizes
and then compare sise results you viii
find out MANY Interesting things
about how tlat kind OF tree grows;
for example. that it may grow fastest
In height when it is young. fastest in
diameter when il is older, and that
later ON in life diameter growth falls
off and height growth is very, very
slow.
I5ni even II Sttfi dbdiASi VI wig
| tree teaches you a great deal. IT tells
| you, not only how old was the tree
when il reached the size~at which it
| was cut. but also how old the tree was
| ut all sizes since it was a little seed
| ling, for every tree has its own life
| history written on its ring of growth
Suppose YOU have measured an Oak,
and found III to be fourteen inches
| thick and seventy years old All you
! need to do to find out how thick that
| Oak was when 1T was. say, thirty
| years old is 20 measure out from the
! center the distance covered by the
| first thirty rings, multiply that dis
| lance by two and add an inch for the
1 bark Tnat tells you very closely how
| big the tree was forty years ago, Ions
| before you were born.
! while you are making the stem an
| alysis don't fail to study the woods
| in which the cutting goes on. How
| do they look? VIII they grow trees
| again like those that have been cut
| or has the forest been destroyed by
cutting? Is the brush piled so that
/; 1t can be burned up. or are the bis
tops Topped so chat they viii ros quick
| IN, OF Is tll ililS lidSii StfNN ~ WV Ni'S
/ ground, where it would burn fiercely
| and xiii what trees are left standing.
Have TOO MANY trees been cut, so that
instead of forest there are only q
few scattered, scrubby trees left, oil
| are there enough TO shed seed to PLAN
/ the land to forest again? Have the
| trees been felled careiessly, so as t.
| injure other trees or crush down young
| growth. or have they been felled skill
| fullye Are the stumps cut close t
the ground so as to waste no timber
or have they been cut high Up in lazy.
4 mans fashion? Have the logs all beer
| taken out or just the best ones, leav-
ing a lot of wood lying on the ground?'