West Virginia · National Park & Preserve trail

Burnwood Trail Stop 6: How Tree Age is Determined

in West Virginia

Old-Growth Forest Hike Stop 6 - How Tree Age is Determined The large tree just off the trail to the left with thick-plated, irregular shaped, blocky bark resembling alligator hide is a blackgum. Blackgum is a long-lived, slow growing tree that is highly tolerant of shade, being able to wait in the understory for centuries before a neighboring tree falls and allows for direct sunlight to reach the forest floor. This blackgum is the oldest tree along the trail and has an inner-ring date of 1674, being at least 350 years old.

How are trees accurately dated? The researchers from Concord University who led the Burnwood study used an instrument called an increment borer to extract a straw-sized sample containing the growth rings from the tree. The increment borer has a sharp bit that is twisted into the tree by the user and the wood sample is then extracted from the hollow auger.

While this tree is confirmed to be at least 350 years old, it could be much older. When coring a large tree, if the increment borer is off from the center of the tree by even a couple of inches, decades of growth rings could be missing from the sample, especially on slow growing trees like the blackgum.

States: West Virginia
Trail type: National Park & Preserve trail
Centroid nearest city: Greensboro, NC · 156 mi · ~4 hr drive
Centroid coords: 38.0767°, -81.0778°

About New River Gorge National Park & Preserve

National Park & Preserve

This trail is inside New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, a national park & preserve managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.

Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/burnwood-trail-stop-6-how-tree-age-is-determined.htm

Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/neri/index.htm

Plan your hike

Practical notes

Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.

Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.

When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.

If you've hiked Burnwood Trail Stop 6: How Tree Age is Determined and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.