Dendrochronologists can look back in time, each growth ring of a tree holding a story about drought, disease or rainfall. In southern Germany and Northern Ireland, documented oak tree chronologies date back more than 11,000 years. Growth can anticipate the future, too. In the early 1900s, carpenters that replaced the oak beams in the ceiling of College Hall at New College, Oxford used oak trees that had been planted for this purpose in 1386 when the dining hall was first built. Now that is looking ahead.

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