By Barbara G. Womack, Signal Mountain Tree Board Member.
While Signal Mountain has many wonderful attributes worthy of celebration during our Centennial, let’s not overlook the natural environment that makes our town such a beautiful place to live. The Signal Mountain Tree Board wants to pay tribute to a cornerstone of our environment by recognizing the native trees that were here at the beginnings of our town in 1919.
If you have a likely candidate, a Tree Board member will be delighted to measure your native tree for you. If the tree qualifies, we will carefully place a biodegradable red ribbon on the tree for the duration of the Centennial Celebration and remove it afterward.
The most accurate age measurement is by counting the growth rings on the stump or from a core sample, but that would not be a happy fate for our centennial trees. Fortunately, there’s a safer way. A tree’s age can be estimated by measuring the diameter of a tree and multiplying this by the growth factor for that species.
You can participate by measuring the diameter of a likely candidate at 4.5 feet above the ground and by using the chart listing tree species below and their growth factors to determine an age estimate. If your tree meets the criterion for celebration, email bgwomack@epbfi.com with the species, age estimate and its location. I will be happy to verify the age and attach the ribbon marking our grandfather or grandmother trees.
The number of centenary trees will be announced at the Fourth of July celebration, as well as the age of our oldest tree.
I look forward to meeting these venerable trees and their owners and to seeing a host of red ribbons throughout the town.
Tree Growth Factors
Measure the circumference of the tree at breast height (4.5 feet).
Divide by pi (3.14) to get the diameter.
Multiply the diameter by the growth factor for that species.
Red Maple Species - 4.5 Growth Factor
Silver Maple Species - 3.0 Growth Factor
River Birch Species - 3.5 Growth Factor
White Birch Species - 5.0 Growth Factor
Green Ash Species - 4.0 Growth Factor
Black Walnut Species - 4.5 Growth Factor
Black Cherry Species - 5.0 Growth Factor
Pin Oak Species - 3.0 Growth Factor
American Elm Species - 4.0 Growth Factor
Ironwood Species - 7.0 Growth Factor
Cottonwood Species - 2.0 Growth Factor
Redbud Species - 7.0 Growth Factor
Dogwood Species - 7.0 Growth Factor
Aspen Species - 2.0 Growth Factor
Red Elm Species - 6.5 Growth Factor
Sugar Maple Species - 6.5 Growth Factor
Shagbark Hickory Species - 7.5 Growth Factor
White Ash Species - 5.0 Growth Factor
Red Oak Species – 4.0 Growth Factor
White Oak Species – 6.0 Growth Factor
Bur/Swamp Oak Species - 6.5 Growth Factor
Basswood Species - 5.0 Growth Factor
Tulip Poplar Species – 3.0 Growth Factor
Yellow Buckeye Species – 5.0 Growth Factor
Sweet Gum Species – 4.0 Growth Factor
Shumard Oak Species – 3.0 Growth Factor
Red Pine Species – 5.5 Growth Factor
White Pine Species – 5.0 Growth Factor
Eastern Hemlock Southern Appalachian Species – 20.6” DBH = 100 years old
While Signal Mountain has many wonderful attributes worthy of celebration during our Centennial, let’s not overlook the natural environment that makes our town such a beautiful place to live. The Signal Mountain Tree Board wants to pay tribute to a cornerstone of our environment by recognizing the native trees that were here at the beginnings of our town in 1919.
If you have a likely candidate, a Tree Board member will be delighted to measure your native tree for you. If the tree qualifies, we will carefully place a biodegradable red ribbon on the tree for the duration of the Centennial Celebration and remove it afterward.
The most accurate age measurement is by counting the growth rings on the stump or from a core sample, but that would not be a happy fate for our centennial trees. Fortunately, there’s a safer way. A tree’s age can be estimated by measuring the diameter of a tree and multiplying this by the growth factor for that species.
You can participate by measuring the diameter of a likely candidate at 4.5 feet above the ground and by using the chart listing tree species below and their growth factors to determine an age estimate. If your tree meets the criterion for celebration, email bgwomack@epbfi.com with the species, age estimate and its location. I will be happy to verify the age and attach the ribbon marking our grandfather or grandmother trees.
The number of centenary trees will be announced at the Fourth of July celebration, as well as the age of our oldest tree.
I look forward to meeting these venerable trees and their owners and to seeing a host of red ribbons throughout the town.
Tree Growth Factors
Measure the circumference of the tree at breast height (4.5 feet).
Divide by pi (3.14) to get the diameter.
Multiply the diameter by the growth factor for that species.
Red Maple Species - 4.5 Growth Factor
Silver Maple Species - 3.0 Growth Factor
River Birch Species - 3.5 Growth Factor
White Birch Species - 5.0 Growth Factor
Green Ash Species - 4.0 Growth Factor
Black Walnut Species - 4.5 Growth Factor
Black Cherry Species - 5.0 Growth Factor
Pin Oak Species - 3.0 Growth Factor
American Elm Species - 4.0 Growth Factor
Ironwood Species - 7.0 Growth Factor
Cottonwood Species - 2.0 Growth Factor
Redbud Species - 7.0 Growth Factor
Dogwood Species - 7.0 Growth Factor
Aspen Species - 2.0 Growth Factor
Red Elm Species - 6.5 Growth Factor
Sugar Maple Species - 6.5 Growth Factor
Shagbark Hickory Species - 7.5 Growth Factor
White Ash Species - 5.0 Growth Factor
Red Oak Species – 4.0 Growth Factor
White Oak Species – 6.0 Growth Factor
Bur/Swamp Oak Species - 6.5 Growth Factor
Basswood Species - 5.0 Growth Factor
Tulip Poplar Species – 3.0 Growth Factor
Yellow Buckeye Species – 5.0 Growth Factor
Sweet Gum Species – 4.0 Growth Factor
Shumard Oak Species – 3.0 Growth Factor
Red Pine Species – 5.5 Growth Factor
White Pine Species – 5.0 Growth Factor
Eastern Hemlock Southern Appalachian Species – 20.6” DBH = 100 years old
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