Ron's Barking Up the Right Tree

Before reading the rest of this blog, kindly first click this link and view all the marvelous shots of tree barks collected by a fellow Webshots member, Ron of Oregon Coast. From his profile, I inferred he is a forester - a retired one, I think. He's a remarkable man!

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/273729503GDBDkl?start=0

Ron of Oregon Coast said:

For the album “Barking Up the Right Tree”, where did I get my ages? Measurements are done with increment borers (age) and clinometers (height). A 36” increment borer was our standard in my job, couldn't bore a tree larger than 36” in diameter. The tree is bored in the center of the bole, four and one half feet above the ground or what they call DBH (diameter base height), as straight in as possible; the wood brought out by the borer should reach the center of the tree or a little beyond it in order to make sure we reached the center, all wood rings were counted, the bark was not. Boring hardwood is nasty business - its quite tough to bore a maple, because the wood is so gnarly and tight; a Yew and a Myrtlewood, because the grain is so tight, madrone and manzanita because there is hardly any water in its cells and is tough to start without bark. To get down to a question you might have, how do I know the ages of the trees? I'm taking diameter and height and using the above information in order to find its age. I wondered how long it would take someone to ask. I thank someone for the question. Ron/Oregon Coast

Webshots page of Ron: rboise

Now here’s my comment which I posted in his splendid album:

I am amazed by the diversity in age and kind of trees you have in your continent. And how fortunate these trees are to have them documented & brought to our consciousness by one who truly loves them. It's as if you've provided each of them a birth certificate & ID card of sorts. My deepest admiration and thanks to you, Ron! May you and your kind truly flourish! Mary Ann