Dendrochronology is the study of which tree feature to determine calendar ages?

• A. Bark texture
• B. Leaf arrangement
• C. Annual growth rings
• D. Root depth

Answer: (C)

Dendrochronology relies on annual growth rings. In temperate trees, one ring forms each year as growth slows and resumes with the seasons, so counting rings from the center outward gives the tree’s age, and matching ring patterns across trees (cross-dating) can pin specific calendar years to particular rings. Bark texture, leaf arrangement, and root depth aren’t used for dating years because they don’t change in a way that records yearly growth; they reflect morphology or physiology rather than year-by-year growth data.