WOOD PARTS AND ANATOMY Taking a Look at Wood Growth Rings If you look closely at a cross-section of wood, you'll notice that the wood has dark concentric circles starting in the center. These are called growth rings and each ring represents one year of growth! You've probably seen growth rings before, but you can click on the picture at the right to get a closer look at these rings. You may have noticed that growth rings are made up of a light and a dark area -- A light and a dark ring together make up one year of growth. Why are there light and dark colored rings?

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