Age tables for silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) trees for early succession stands on abandoned agricultural lands

The paper presents the tables for indirect determination of the age of silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) trees basing on easy to measure dendrometric parameters. We elaborated empirical formulae that enable determination of tree age using total tree height, breast height diameter and stump diameter as the predictors. Data was collected in 40 pure silver birch stands growing on former farmlands in Mazowsze region (central Poland). Sample material consisted of data from the stem analyses of 200 trees and measurements of 600 stumps. Obtained equations explain 70-86% of the age variability. The best fit was achieved for joint use of total tree height and breast height diameter as the independent variables.