Can anybody recommend me a method of estimation of age juvenil plants of oak tree (Q.robur)? I am planning to carry out some demografic survey in the oak's population on the edge of area.
Please check the following links and attachments which may be helpful to you in estimating the age of juvenile plants of oak tree.
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/estimate-age-oak-tree-37563.html
http://mdc.mo.gov/your-property/your-trees-and-woods/backyard-tree-care/how-old-tree
Arvind, thanks a lot for useful links. Do you know, are there the special methods for estimation of sapling's age?
Please follow the following link and reference which probably may help you.
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/x01-060?journalCode=cjfr#.Vt2zgGG6bDc
Pfeffer, M. (2005). Regression-based Age Estimates of Yellow Pine Saplings, Jefferson National Forest, Virginia. A Senior Honours Thesis. The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Dear Abhishek,
thank you for useful papers. Besides that I would like to know is there any way for estimation of age of young woody plants.
The answer depends on what you mean by "juvenile" and how you want to define "age". Quercus robur trees grow wood around the stem to form annual rings. One way to age them would be to sample the stem at the root collar and then accurately measure and count the number of rings to the pith. For larger juvenile trees, you can do this using an increment borer, but for small diameter stems you may have to cut some down to take out cross-sections of wood to measure. Even if you do this, the age you determine may not be the age at which the acorn germinated. This can be hard to determine because some oaks can survive as seedlings in the understory for many years, and may die-back and regenerate at the root collar over that time. So you are generally still getting an estimate of the true age using the most common methods.
Good luck,
Jane
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