Please can someone tell me whether it is possible to estimate the age of a yew tree from its girth? Or how one finds its age.
You can get an estimate from the girth, but only an extremely rough one. People have produced claims of anything between 2,000 years and 6,000 years for the Fortingall tree in Perthshire, from the same measurement. Best recent estimates put the figure at the lower end of that range. Some useful reading: Harte, J. (1996). How old is that old Yew? http://www.indigogroup.co.uk/edge/oldyews.htm Kinmonth, F. (2006). Ageing the yew - no core, no curve? International Dendrology Society Yearbook 2005: 41-46.
Thank you so much for your reply about the age of yew trees. The information was very useful and very informative. Our small Friends Meeting House in East Garston, Berkshire is organising an exhibition in June to celebrate our yew tree - we are asking anyone to send us information, associations, drawings, postcards of yew trees etc - and now we can date it from the beginning of the anti-slavery movement, start of the industrial revolution etc. It was really kind of you to send me the extract - very interesting Many thanks, Phoebe Fennell/Quaker