How Old Am I?

LISTEN!

If you count all my growth rings, you can find out my age (I am 80 years old). See how many rings you can count. Trees are historians too! I am a giant organic recording device. My tree rings record information about past changes in climate and ecosystems and their effects on human civilization. Each growth ring stores data about droughts and heat waves, as well as events such as hurricanes or solar flares. These rings can also help you find out when an old house was built — a technique known as dendrochronology. Architectural historians used dendrochronology to discover the age of the Handy House. The earliest timber dates from 1712.