How old is this pine tree?
The annual rings on this round of pine tell us that this part of the tree spans the years 1967 to 1997, the tree having blown down in the spring of 1998 on Stinson's Bay Road.
The round, measuring 26 inches across, was taken from 18 feet up the trunk, due to heart rot below that point. (At ground level the tree was of course much larger, 42 inches, and where the diameter became more consistent, a foot or more above the ground, it was 36 inches.
The exact age of the tree cannot be determined by the ring count due to the rot in the first 18 feet of its trunk; however it can reasonably be estimated that this tree began life sometime after 1837 and well before 1857.
When Mossom Boyd cut pine on the north side of Sturgeon Lake, this tree was in all probability a seedling in the under storey, spurred into more explosive growth by the sudden increase in light exposure
Logging tools
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Axes: Used to fell trees
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Cross-cut saws: Used to cut across the grain of wood
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Pit saws: Long saws with large teeth and handles on both ends, used to produce boards
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Handsaws: Used to cut boards, including crosscut saws and ripsaws
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Peaveys: Special tools used to move logs
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Calked boots: Spiked boots used to maneuver across log booms
