My husband and I have purchased property with a water oak that measures 16' in diameter. Any idea of the age of this tree?
It is covered in English Ivy. Is it safe to remove this vegetation and should this be done by a professional tree service?

Tree age is determined by the number of growth rings taken by a cross-section of the trunk. Since this can only be accomplished by cutting the tree down or boring a hole to the core to extract cross-sectional material, you can only estimate it. The average growth ring is usually between 1/4 inch to 1 inch in diameter per year. Each circle represents 1 year. If the tree has a lot of competition the growth is small, if in an open space, no competition, larger rings. A 16 foot diameter tree is old using any formula. Using 1/2 inch average rings and 20 years to first substantial ring from tree heart...304 years old, but this is a speculation.