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 do darker 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. In the late summer, growth is slower, so the wood has smaller cells and is darker. One light ring and one dark ring represent one year of the trees life.

What does a tree ring tell us?

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.

What are dark tree rings called?

annual growth rings Each year, the tree forms new cells, arranged in concentric circles called annual rings or annual growth rings. These annual rings show the amount of wood produced during one growing season.

What do thicker tree rings mean?

Each year, a tree adds to its girth, the new growth being called a tree ring. In areas where the length of the growing season is the limiting factor, the thickness of tree rings can indicate when growing seasons were longer (during warmer times) and when growing seasons were shorter (cooler times).