Cutting remarks

Natural History, April, 2002 by Sue Sommers

In "The Unsung Ancients" (2/02), David W. Stahle comments on ancient trees being "sent to the guillotine" and on "out misperception of their value and our continued disregard" threatening their survival. I would prefer to read about these majestic survivors without being given a lecture on the evils of exploiting natural resources.

Also, I would be interested to know how the ages of the trees cited were determined. Does one have to cut down a tree to get that information, or has science progressed beyond that point?

Sue Sommers
Pinedale, Wyoming

DAVID W. STAHLE REPLIES: Dendrochronologists use a Swedish increment borer to extract a 5-mm-diameter core of growth rings from bark to pith. This manually operated tool leaves a 2-cm-diameter wound to the living cambium. Most species of trees easily survive the insult. Rarely do dendrochronologists cut down trees to determine their age.