Goodbye Red Oak

I often run for mental downtime and stress-relief. On a recent run, I found one of my favorite trees blown over. This tree grew in a cemetery with broad branches and roots consuming the neighboring headstones. This red oak had brought me so much joy. Before I could get to the stump, the park had cleared it and left me wondering what the rings of this old tree were like. I think of yearly growth as a function of rain, sun, temperatures, age, and probably so much beyond my comprehension.

What are the independent variables in the functions for our own growth?

I played with code for a little to make tree rings in contemplation.

What would our rings look like this year?

Can a tough year result in a lot of growth?

What makes us sturdy?

If you want to play, below is the result. Click to change the rings, which are randomized. I enjoyed playing with how much variation each ring had along with the color pallet.

See the Pen TreeRings by Sophia (@fractalkitty) on CodePen.

This code was tinkered with a bit more and made some really fun visuals here.