Increment Borer and Increment Cores
Courtesy of Ohio State University Extension

By inspecting the rings of trees, their rate of growth can be determined. This indicator is an important aspect of forest research to determine the effect of various forest management practices. The increment borer screws into the tree and cuts a “core” from the tree. Some cores, as displayed here, are mounted and prepared so as to better reveal the rings of the trees. The number of rings and the distance between them reveal the rate of growth.