The light-colored rings represent wood that grew in the spring and early summer, while the dark rings represent wood that grew in the late summer and fall. One light ring plus one dark ring equals one year of the trees life.

Why are some tree rings in the same tree dark and some light in color?

New wood formed in a tree during spring and summer is light in color. Toward the end of a growing season, new cells formed are smaller and have darker thicker walls. Near the core of a tree, rings will be tighter and darker if a young tree grows up in the shade a mature forest.

What do lighter rings on a tree trunk represent?

Trees add a new layer of wood between the bark and the trunk each growing season. The wood formed in spring grows faster and lighter and consists of larger cells. One light ring and one dark ring represent one year of the trees life. Additionally, a young seedling will grow faster than a mature tree.

Why are tree rings different colors?

Near the end of the growing season, they produce denser, darker wood. The light-colored rings are the wood that grew in spring and early summer, while the dark rings indicate growth in late summer and fall. So, a light ring and dark ring together represent one year of growth.

What do dark tree rings represent?

These rings can tell us how old the tree is, and what the weather was like during each year of the trees life. The light-colored rings represent wood that grew in the spring and early summer, while the dark rings represent wood that grew in the late summer and fall.

What does the number of rings tell you about the tree?

What do tree rings tell us. The underlying patterns of wide or narrow rings record the year-to-year fluctuations in the growth of trees. The patterns, therefore, often contain a weather history at the location the tree grew, in addition to its age.