Because tree-ring dating is so reliable and accurate, it has been used as a method of calibrating radiocarbon dating. This is done by chiseling-out pieces of wood from individual rings of known age and 14C dating the wood.

Can trees produce more than one ring per year?

Occasionally, trees will produce more than one ring in a year. The extra ring is called a false ring and it can be the result of drought stress in the middle of a growing season. Other times a tree can go a year without producing a ring.