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Counting tree rings is the normal method and it's been known for a long time

Absolutely, but would they have bothered? Or if they knew the age of the trees, would they have stopped cutting when they needed homes and boats and there were so many trees?

I know they needed to, but I hope the population remains stable, since it takes so long for trees to mature. I cringe when I see the old redwoods that were felled when the US railroads were being built.
I have rocks on my place that are some of the oldest on the planet, the shattered remains of one of the oldest and largest known meteorite strikes. I have had to do some rock-breaking around the house to sort out the drainage mess the previous builders caused. I still feel bad about it but I guess that's just me.