Arborist Consulting & Permits
Increment Bore Sampling for Tree Age and Decay in Victoria and Saanich
Increment bore sampling is a method of drilling a thin core from a tree trunk to count the tree's age, read its growth history and check for hidden internal decay. Oakstead Tree & Property Care uses increment bores in Victoria, Saanich and the Cowichan Valley for tree risk assessments and forest inventory work.
In plain words
A thin core of wood is drilled out of the trunk. It shows how old the tree is and how it grew. It can also show hidden rot inside. Oakstead uses it for tree risk and forest work.
Have you ever wondered how old that large tree in the backyard is? Is decay hidden inside the trunk?
An increment bore (“Inky”) is the tool you need for the answer. The bore is hand-drilled into the trunk, and when the “spoon” is removed, it provides a round 3/16” core, on which you can count age or observe decay. The core can be read and interpreted to give a rough history of the tree’s growth pattern over its life, as well as to assess its current vigour. It is a tool often used in Forest Inventory and Tree Risk Assessment.
Increment Bore Sampling: frequently asked questions
How can I find out how old a tree is without cutting it down?
An increment bore is hand-drilled into the trunk to remove a small round core about 3/16 inch across. The growth rings on the core can be counted to estimate the tree's age, so the tree stays standing.
Can an increment bore detect decay inside a tree?
Yes. The core extracted from the trunk shows whether the wood inside is sound or decayed, which is why increment bores are commonly used in tree risk assessments to check for hidden internal decay that cannot be seen from outside.
What else does an increment core tell an arborist?
Reading the core gives a rough history of the tree's growth over its life and helps assess its current vigour. Foresters also use increment cores for forest inventory, recording growth rates across a stand.
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