A tree during the ... year's tree ring and the tree's bark. The cells that grow during this initial period are large. As the season progresses, however, the cells that form are smaller and smaller.

The rings form a kind of fingerprint—actually ... Every year a new ring of growth is added to a tree's trunk and branches, just beneath the bark. The thickness of this ring depends on how ...

But winter is precisely the time for shrubs with colorful branches and trees with ornamental bark to shine. Bark serves as the skin of the tree, protecting the internal plumbing from disease or ...