manwithav8
ArboristSite Member
Ok so just count the skinny dark rings or count the lighter wider as rings aswell?
Ie skinny fat skinny fat skinny fat = 3 rings or is 6?
MS 381 sees some action 'finally'
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Ok so just count the skinny dark rings or count the lighter wider as rings aswell?
Ie skinny fat skinny fat skinny fat = 3 rings or is 6?
masculator
ArboristSite Guru
Basically the thinner rings represent the more dormant times of growth where as the softer wider rings represent the periods of more aggresive growth. so basically count the thin rings and you will know how many years old the tree is.
In some areas though this doesn't truly work (such as the desert areas of australia) where the wider ring may represent a time of significant rainfall which may only be once every ten or 20 years, and thus a tree 6 inches in diametre with 30 rings may be 200 years old, such as the desert oaks or the waddy wood tree.
Because the 038 design will last longer and take more abuse.
Because the 038 design will last longer and take more abuse.
How is the 381 not a pro saw? The 038 Mag it's based on is a legend, and is a pro saw in every way, despite being outdated.
+1, before the era of "homeowner" stihls
I'll bet a 381 will outlast the crop of 441s and not be much slower in the cut
I think it would lag well behind in cut speed, but would definately be more forgiving of an operator with a heavy hand.
Put a 8 pin rim on the 038M and see what happens. Been there , done that.
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That just might do the trick.
forestryworks
Addicted to ArboristSite
Wider, lighter colored growth rings are the springwood or earlywood. Thinner, darker colored rings are the summerwood or latewood.
I've always counted what I can see, usually the earlywood rings. You can either county just the earlywood or just the latewood.
A wide ring and a thin ring make one year's growth.
And beware of false growth rings.
More tricks for counting growth rings (by the way, the five dollar word for measuring age from tree rings and using it to tell something about the tree and the stand it's part of is "Dendrochronology"):
1) always count at least twice. It's easy to miss something if you're just going, "ring, ring, ring" all day.
2) if you can't quite tell whether something is a separate ring or not, wet it to increase the contrast. I usually just use spit because it's always there, but there is a nasty toxic substance whose name I misremember which will make small rings stand out like a picture developing.
3) Be aware that you are measuring the age at the height where you are measuring; that is, if you have a tree which is open-grown and vigorous, you may need to add a year or two to get to a "true" age, while a tree that is suppressed may have many years of growth below your measurement point. Be ready to account for these differences.
4) On trees with a LOT of rings, the easiest way to keep track of your count is to put a tick mark on every tenth ring with a fine-tip pen, then count the tens after.
5) The "false" growth rings Forestryworks mentioned happen when the seasonal cycle is interrupted. Sometimes a tree will respond to drought by storing its resources and essentially not growing, which looks like no growth ring at all, and other times it will set buds and burst them multiple times in a year, which looks like multiple growth rings. The best way to tell the difference is to be familiar with both species and site, as you can't go back in time to be certain.
1) always count at least twice. It's easy to miss something if you're just going, "ring, ring, ring" all day.
2) if you can't quite tell whether something is a separate ring or not, wet it to increase the contrast. I usually just use spit because it's always there, but there is a nasty toxic substance whose name I misremember which will make small rings stand out like a picture developing.
3) Be aware that you are measuring the age at the height where you are measuring; that is, if you have a tree which is open-grown and vigorous, you may need to add a year or two to get to a "true" age, while a tree that is suppressed may have many years of growth below your measurement point. Be ready to account for these differences.
4) On trees with a LOT of rings, the easiest way to keep track of your count is to put a tick mark on every tenth ring with a fine-tip pen, then count the tens after.
5) The "false" growth rings Forestryworks mentioned happen when the seasonal cycle is interrupted. Sometimes a tree will respond to drought by storing its resources and essentially not growing, which looks like no growth ring at all, and other times it will set buds and burst them multiple times in a year, which looks like multiple growth rings. The best way to tell the difference is to be familiar with both species and site, as you can't go back in time to be certain.
Wow!! Those growth ring widths are amazing!! A Fir that size in my back yard would be 80+ years old!!:msp_ohmy:
You and me both....
Those rings are insane. jockeydeuce, you say 80? I'd peg one that size, where I cut, to be 250-300+ y/o. Most 12" diameter trees up where I am are over 100. 1/32" growth rings are common. It was very wet back in the 30's...
I might be misjudging the OP's tree diameter, but was guessing it to be 12-14".....I had a 12" butt, Fir that I cut a couple weeks ago and counted 96 rings, so if you're a bit more north of the equator than me, that would make sense for you to have a bit tighter rings.... I don't know if you ever looked at the rings in terms of "good growth years", but I've noticed that the 30's and 40's were big growth decades around here.
manwithav8
ArboristSite Member
Um 8 pin rim? Are you talking about the drive sprocket? Will this make it cut faster but will torque be sacrificed?
manwithav8
ArboristSite Member
We are quite lucky here, we good good wet weather for growth in the winter months with nicer hot summers. The summer months can produce a fair bit of rain too but the humidity over here is pretty high all yeah round. I'm guessing that helps our trees grow so quick.
I'm thinking about getting a bit of land and planting. The trees would be ready within 15-20 years and will be of a decent size.
manwithav8
ArboristSite Member
The tree at the base was about 700mm across and for you yanks that is about 26" and from what I can read about 12 - 13 years old.
Whoa!!! That's crazy growth!!:msp_ohmy:
A 26" tree here, would be in the ballpark of 150-200 years old.
Unless you are using a long bar or cutting rocks a 038M won't notice the difference, but cut a lot faster.
