Are you feeling overwhelmed by current events? Does your body creak and crack when you rouse yourself from the sofa? Is more of your life behind you than ahead? Need a perspective reset? If you want to see some hundred-year-old-plus thriving seniors, just head over to Cylburn Arboretum. Lovingly cared for by the Cylburn Arboretum Friends (CAF) and Baltimore City Recreation and Parks, the arboretum is filled with gerontological wonders. The Woodland Trail, a few steps to the left from the brand-new Nature Education Center, will take you alongside modern-day giants that have survived fire, timbering, ravenous deer and disease. There is a deer deterrent gate you must open to access the trail. The trail gently descends the ridge line. About 200 yards into your walk is the aptly named Ridge Trail to the right. Keep going straight on the Woodland Trail. The trail is easily accessible for about 500 yards until traversing two downed trees may hinder passage.

There are several different ways to tell the age of a tree without cutting it down. For tree lovers with math-induced anxiety, here is a simple three-step formula. First, use a measuring tape to obtain the tree’s circumference about four and a half feet from the ground (known as diameter at breast height or DBH). Convert the circumference into inches. Second, summon your inner Archimedes and divide the number of inches by Pi (3.14). Now you have the diameter. Third, multiply the diameter by the tree species’ “growth factor.” The growth factor is the number of rings the tree produces per inch of trunk diameter. In temperate regions like ours, trees produce one ring per year. Every tree species has its own growth factor and this number is easily obtainable online. The higher the growth factor, the slower the tree grows.

For example, one of the red oaks on the trail is 142 inches in circumference. Divided by Pi that equals a diameter of 45.22. Red oaks have a growth factor of 4.0. The growth factor of this red oak times its diameter means it has an estimated 181 rings and is therefore 181 years old. Tulip poplars, which grow faster and therefore have a lower growth factor of three, were prevalent on the early part of the trail. Identified by their easily dislodged bark and tulip-shaped fruits, these trees, as explained by Rose Pacheco, Cylburn Arboretum Friends garden educator, probably grew in a formerly cultivated area as they need lots of space and sunshine to thrive. One of the oldest had a diameter of 42 which means it is estimated to be 126 years old. Many of the trees had triangular-shaped wounds or openings at their base at or near ground level. These are known as basal scars. The scars are often caused by fire, mechanical damage or deer rubbing against the tree. Some basal scars are big enough to provide shelter for animals, so be careful before you stick your hand in one. Amazingly, many of the 100-year-old-plus trees had significant basal scars but were still thriving. Trees heal themselves by a process called compartmentalization. New growth forms around the damaged section and walls it off from the heartwood so the whole tree does not rot away. Wound paint or sealant is not necessary and is now considered harmful.

As the oaks begin to dominate as the trail bottoms, tulip poplars become diminished, replaced by understory beech trees. Unlike tulip poplars, beech trees can survive in the lower light strata created by the massive oak-grove canopy. Not surprisingly, the smooth-barked beech trees were marred by mostly old wounds caused by people carving names or love attestations, sometimes even dating them. Fortunately, the beech trees survived these misdirected expressions of passion.

One scarred but still thriving beech’s diameter measured 37 inches. Based on a growth factor of 6 for its species, the tree is 222 years old. This beech witnessed Baltimore’s early incorporation (1796-97) and was a nascent teenager when Francis Scott Key wrote our national anthem in 1814.

Even in winter, besides the bark, there are plenty of leaves on the ground to help with identification. I was lucky to have a Cylburn Arboretum Friends intern help hold the tape measure (and do the math) as we wrapped it around the trees. Make your way to the arboretum some weekend and see if you can find a tree matching your favorite Baltimore historical event.

Carl R. Gold (cgold@carlgoldlaw.com) is a Maryland Master Naturalist and arborist.