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QUESTION 9

When you look through a section of a tree, you can work out the age of the tree by counting the number of concentric rings. What causes these rings?
( Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the answer )



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Answer: In spring there is plenty of rain and this causes the tree to grow a lot. The new wood is made up of thin walled cells which have a large central cavity. This creates the light coloured rings. During the summer and autumn, when there is less rain the tree produces cells with thicker walls and a smaller central cavity. This creates the dark coloured rings.


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