Page 23 - Inside Writing (demo)

However, the rings that grew after 1931 were Important Events in the Life of the Douglas Fir
mostly wide and even. Lars concluded from this 1903 Douglas fir
that the drought ended. planted
Another series of narrow rings grew on one
30 side of the tree in 1975. From these rings, Lars
concluded that something pushed on the tree.
He thinks that other trees were probably
growing too close to the fir tree. This caused
2
overcrowding and poor growth. The narrow
1927-1931 -{ }- Drought
35 rings continued for 13 years.
Then the rings show another major event. A
series of major fires in 1988 covered much of
the forest. From this time period, the trees in the
area have visible scars from the fire in their
40 rings. The scars look like dark, uneven marks.
Interestingly, after 1988, the rings of the
Douglas fir show good growth. Lars believes the
trees in the section around the fir tree had
major damage. The damage caused some trees
45 to die. As a result, there were fewer trees.
Because there were fewer trees, the trees that 1975 Overcrowding
did not die could grow better.
Today wildfires are a major problem. People
continue to look for ways to stop them from
1988 Major forest fires
5o happening. One conclusion from this report is
that a fire may kill some trees, but this may help
other trees to grow. In addition, when trees
aren't so close together, fires can't spread as
quickly. How did the Douglas fir survive the
55 fire? This will be the topic of Lars's next
research. •

2 overcrowding: having too much of something; being too full

READING THE RINGS
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