Tree-Ring Research: Recent submissions
Now showing items 21-40 of 693
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Forgotten Waterways: Analyzing Beams from the Wabash and Erie CanalThe Wabash and Erie Canal system was an important transportation network in the early 1800s prior to the dominance of trains and later automotive transportation. In this work, timbers from Culvert 151 were examined, after they were exhumed during construction of Hwy 641 on the south side of Terre Haute, Indiana. Cross-sections were taken from each of 22 beams and allowed to air dry to determine the stability of the timbers. We examined the wood to determine the genera or species of each sample that was used in this construction project and developed a floating chronology from our white oak group samples. The mix of species present included 11 beams of American beech (Fagus grandifolia), five white oak group (Quercus subgenus Lepidobalanus), and one each of American elm (Ulmus americana), winged elm (Ulmus alata), sugar maple (Acer saccharum), shagbark hickory (Carya ovata), white ash (Fraxinus americana), and black walnut (Juglans nigra). This suggests that the timbers were cut from the available trees in a certain size class without much regard for wood properties. The oak trees were an average of 186 years in age and the floating chronology dated to AD 1827. We also compared our chronology to 16 other oak chronologies in the region using an Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) algorithm in ArcGIS to determine the most likely provenance of the samples. Our oak chronology correlates the strongest to archaeological samples from southeastern Indiana in Jefferson County along the Ohio River. It is possible that the timbers were cut near Madison Indiana, shipped down the Ohio River and up the Wabash River prior to incorporation in Culvert 151 on the Wabash and Erie Canal. © 2016 by The Tree-Ring Society.
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Trends in Elemental Concentrations of Tree Rings from the Siberian ArcticThe biogeochemistry and ecology of the Arctic environment have been heavily impacted by anthropogenic pollution and climate change. We used ICP-MS to measure concentrations of 26 elements in the AD 1300-2000 tree rings of larch from the Taymyr Peninsula in northern Siberia for studying the interaction between environmental change and wood chemistry. We applied a two-stage data reduction technique to identify trends in the noisy measurement data. Statistical assessment of variance of normalized time series reveals pronounced depletion of xylem Ca, Mg, Cl, Bi and Si concentrations and enrichment of P, K, Mn, Rb, Sr and Ba concentrations after ca. AD 1900. The trends are unprecedented in the 700-year records, but multiple mechanisms may be at work and difficult to attribute with certainty. The declining xylem Ca and Mg may be a response to soil acidification from air pollution, whereas increasing P, K, and Mn concentrations may signal changes in root efficiency and excess water-soluble minerals liberated by the permafrost thaw. The changes seem consistent with mounting stress on Arctic vegetation. This study supports the potential of tree rings for monitoring past and ongoing changes in biogeochemistry of Arctic ecosystems related to pollution and permafrost thaw. © 2016 by The Tree-Ring Society.
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The Relationship between Earlywood and Latewood Ring-Growth Across North AmericaThe relationship between earlywood width (EW) and latewood width (LW) is investigated using 197 tree-ring collections representing several tree species from across the North American continent. Chronologies of LW have limited paleoclimate value when they have low variance or very high correlation with EW from the same site. The correlation of LW and EW can be removed by taking the residuals from linear regression to provide a chronology of discrete latewood growth free from the carryover effects of prior EW (the so-called adjusted latewood chronology, LWa). The correlation between EW and LW, along with LWa variance, varies dramatically across North America. The lowest correlations between EW and LW chronologies can be found in Pseudotsuga menziesii in the summer monsoon region of northwestern Mexico. Low correlations between EW and LW chronologies are also noted for Pinus echinata and Quercus stellata in the south-central United States. Q. stellata also displays the highest LWa variance among any species in the dataset. For three conifer species, correlations between EW and LW appear to increase with the biological age of the tree. An age-related decline in LWa variance was also detected for Douglas-fir, bald cypress and ponderosa pine older than 200 years. These results imply that heavy sampling to produce "age-stratified" chronologies based on trees ≤ 200 years in age throughout the record may produce the best quality LW chronologies with the highest variance and most discrete growth signal independent from EW. © 2016 by The Tree-Ring Society.
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The Benefit of Including Rarely-Used Species in Dendroclimatic Reconstructions: A Case Study Using Juglans nigra in South-Central Indiana, USAThe benefit of using multiple species in dendroclimatic reconstructions in the eastern U.S. has been demonstrated. However, the benefit of including rarely-used species in multispecies reconstructions has been little explored. This paper shows the utility of using a rarely-used species in dendrochronology, Juglans nigra, in a multispecies Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) reconstruction at a site in southern Indiana. First, the crossdating J. nigra is established, followed by determining the climate response. The standardized J. nigra chronology is then compared with co-occurring standardized species chronologies (Quercus alba, Quercus rubra, and Liriodendron tulipifera) reported in Maxwell et al. (2015). Using a principal component regression model, the bi-weights of each species were calculated to determine how much J. nigra contributed to the explanatory power of the model. J.nigra had a high interseries correlation (0.604) and mean sensitivity (0.304) and a strong correlation with summer PDSI, which was comparable in strength and more consistent through time than the cooccurring species. The inclusion of J. nigra in the composite reconstruction provided more consistency and better captured the observed PDSI variability. This is compelling evidence for why rarely-used species should be tested for inclusion in multispecies climate reconstructions. © 2016 by The Tree-Ring Society.
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Precipitation Variations in the Eastern Part of the Hexi Corridor during AD 1765-2010 Reveal Changing Precipitation Signal in GansuWe reconstructed August-May precipitation from AD 1765 to 2010 for the eastern part of the Hexi Corridor, northwest China, using tree rings of Picea crassifolia. The precipitation reconstruction explains 44.1% of the actual precipitation variance during the common period of 1951-2010. The precipitation reconstruction is representative of precipitation conditions over a large area of the Hexi Corridor. Multi-taper spectral analysis reveals the existence of significant variability with periods of 9.3, 6.7, 3.1, and 2.6 years. Comparison between the precipitation reconstruction of the eastern part of the Hexi Corridor and other nearby precipitation/drought reconstructions shows high coherency in the timing of dry/wet episodes on annual to decadal scale. The divergences existing between the reconstructions may reflect the influence of different geographic features in Gansu and differences in seasonality of the various precipitation/drought reconstructions. © 2016 by The Tree-Ring Society.
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X-ray Densitometry of Norway Spruce Subfossil Wood from the Austrian AlpsThe processing of subfossil wood poses some difficulties in densitometric research. Problems arise because of the physiochemical changes of wood occurring in the sedimentation environment. Subfossil wood modification can result from the uptake of mineral and organic substances into the wood tissue. It can also occur as the effect of microbiological degradation of wood. The goal of this study was to identify the appropriate method of subfossil wood preparation for the densitometric research. For this purpose the wood of Norway spruce from Lake Schwarzensee was subjected to extraction in deionized water, acetone and diluted acetic acid. The application of acetic acid did not significantly influence the density of the wood and acetone seemed to be too aggressive. The best result was obtained by rinsing the samples in cold de-ionized water. This extraction procedure allowed removal of unwanted water-soluble, organic and inorganic compounds from wood and simultaneously did not lead to the degradation of subfossil samples. © 2016 by The Tree-Ring Society.
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Dating Wooden Beams from the Grancia Monastic Abbey in Southern ItalyWe present the results of a dendrochronological study carried out on timbers from the monastic abbey Grancià of Brindisi di Montagna in Southern Italy. Our objective was to date cross-sections of oak (Quercus spp.) taken from structural timbers to determine the felling dates, the time span covered by the series and to evaluate whether the retrieved tree-ring data could be used to extend an existing living trees chronology of oak from Southern Italy. Dendrochronological analyses were performed on samples collected from eight oak timbers in 2006 during the restoration of the abbey. Raw tree-ring series were crossdated and grouped into a floating chronology that was compared with an absolute reference chronology, specifically constructed from living Quercus pubescens (Willd.) trees, from the nearby Pollino National Park. Seven of eight samples could be absolutely dated in the early 19th, late 18th and mid late 17th Centuries, providing a chronology that reaches back to AD 1545. © 2016 by The Tree-Ring Society.
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Dendrochronology of Utah Juniper (Juniperus osteosperma (Torr.) Little)Utah juniper was a foundational species for the discipline of dendrochronology, having been used in the early 20th Century investigations of Mesa Verde, but has been largely ignored by dendrochronologists since. Here we present dendrochronological investigations of Utah juniper core and cross-sectional samples from four sites in northern Utah. We demonstrate that, contrary to the general opinion among many dendrochronologists, Utah juniper exhibits excellent crossdating that is reflective of its sensitivity to climate-a desirable characteristic for dendroclimate reconstruction. Across all four sites the dominant signal for annual ring-width increment occurred during the growing season and was positive for precipitation and negative for temperature. This corroborates ecophysiological studies that highlight Utah juniper's aggressive water-use behavior and desiccation tolerance that together enable survival at extremely negative soil water potentials. This behavior differs from co-occurring Pinus spp. (i.e. P. edulis and P. monophylla) that avoid cavitation at the cost of carbon starvation. We determine that the annual radial increment of Utah juniper rings is particularly responsive to soil moisture availability, and is in fact a useful proxy for hydroclimatic variables such as precipitation, drought, and streamflow. Its geographic distribution spans a large swath of the Interior West, including areas where other more commonly sought-after species for dendrochronology do not occur, and ought to be considered crucial for complementing the rich network of tree-ring chronologies in the western U.S. © 2016 by The Tree-Ring Society.
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Trimming and Planing Rough-Cut Wood for Efficient Dendrochronological Sample Preparation and StorageWood samples larger than increment cores collected for tree-ring studies are often obtained using chainsaws and, less frequently, 2-person crosscut saws. Saw marks on cross-sectional wood samples can be quite deep and uneven, and sanding rough-cut wood cross-sections is inefficient in terms of processing time and wear on sanding belts. Trimming rough-cut wood samples with a band saw or treating with a surface planer creates a smoother initial surface for sample sanding and polishing. Sample trimming with a band saw or surface planer is also useful for post-analysis archiving and wood storage, when excess wood can be removed and smaller samples entered into storage. Band saw and surface planer safety techniques are also discussed. Copyright © 2015 by The Tree-Ring Society.
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A Method for Tree-Ring Analysis Using Diva-Gis Freeware on Scanned Core ImagesTree-ring analysis is a basic technique of paramount importance in forest management, yet it may prove difficult and time-consuming for many slow-growth hardwood tree species. Moreover, it requires the use of specialized tools and proprietary software, which may hinder researchers working with limited budgets. We describe an innovative and inexpensive method using DIVA-GIS freeware software to analyze true color high-resolution scanned images of cores previously enhanced with ImageJ freeware (GIS-SDI), and test its accuracy against the widely-used LINTAB-TSAPWin™ and WinDENDRO™ methods. For this purpose, Abies pinsapo and Pyrus bourgaeana increment cores were processed independently using each of the three methods and the results were statistically compared. Dating results were consistent across all three methods, although identifying rings was easier and quicker to perform on the digital images. Using a modern but affordable flatbed scanner to digitize tree cores and the free DIVA-GIS software to analyze the scanned digital images proved to be an inexpensive but highly accurate and efficient approach to tree-ring analysis. Furthermore, this method greatly facilitates tree-ring analysis in species with inconspicuous rings, and enables a complete digital record of every core analyzed to be stored. Copyright © 2015 by The Tree-Ring Society.
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Competitive Strength Effect in the Climate Response of Scots Pine Radial Growth in South-Central Siberia Forest-SteppeThis paper presents a method for classification of trees in groups depending on parameters of the age trend in tree-ring width. The method is tested on a sample containing 194 trees of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) growing in the forest-steppe zone of the South of Central Siberia. The climatic response of tree-ring width in such climatic conditions is complex. The influence of temperature in May-September is negative (moisture reducing). Warm-season precipitation serving as a source of moisture is a positive factor. Another positive factor is cold-season precipitation as frost protection. We determined the dependence of this response on the local conditions (soil, landscape and anthropogenic factors). The competitive strength of the trees influences both the sensitivity of individual trees to extreme climatic factors and the timing of growth processes. The latter implies the duration of the period of significant response to climate. It appears promising to take this influence into account in dendroclimatic reconstructions by using separate clusters of trees based on the competitive strength and having the maximum response to the reconstructed factor. Copyright © 2015 by The Tree-Ring Society.
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Reconstructing Evaporation from Pine Tree Rings in Northern MexicoHere we reconstructed evaporation using tree-ring width variability. Drought variability and its effects on forest growth have been mainly characterized by changes in precipitation and temperatures, whereas atmospheric drought and evaporation rates have been little investigated. The area of study corresponds to northern Mexico, a region where water resources are increasingly limited. We used correlation analyses to identify the months in which evaporation is most strongly related to tree-ring width series. Then, we built a linear regression model to predict seasonal winter-to-spring evaporation as a function of ring-width indices. Correlation analyses showed that the radial growth of P. cooperi decreased in response to reduced water availability and increased evaporation during the winter prior to the growing season, and also during spring and the early summer of the year of tree-ring formation. Pine growth mainly benefitted from wet and cool conditions from winter to early spring. Linear regression models used in reconstruction were statistically robust and allowed reconstructing January-to-April evaporation for the period 1900-2010. Our study contributes to a better understanding of historical changes in evaporation in northern Mexico and, most importantly, it also emphasizes how atmospheric moisture demand is linked to tree growth. Copyright © 2015 by The Tree-Ring Society.
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Tree-Ring Investigation of Holocene Flood-Deposited Wood from the Oneida Lake Watershed, New York StateGlacial deposition and fluvial/lacustrine sedimentation interact over terrains in central New York State to preserve a history of geological and hydrological events as well as hydroclimatic transitions. The lower reach of Fish Creek draining the eastern watershed of Oneida Lake, NY, is an area with prominent wood remains. This study explores a collection of 52 logs encased in organic-rich deposits exposed by bank erosion at three locations along Fish Creek near Sylvan Beach, NY, with respect to radiocarbon ages, species, and the crossdating potential of tree rings. Radiocarbon ages and successful tree-ring crossdating document what we interpret as seven major hydrologic episodes ca. 10 ka (i.e. ca. 10,000 cal yr BP), 7.4 ka, 6.8 ka, 6.4 ka, 5.5 ka, 3.1 ka and 2.2 ka cal BP, during which channel aggradation and tree burial may have been associated with abruptly increased flood frequency and/or high water tables. This pilot study establishes four floating tree-ring records: [1] early Holocene hemlock (Tsuga), mid-Holocene [2] walnut (Juglans sp.) and [3] sycamore (Platanus), and [4] late Holocene elm (Ulmus sp.), with sample sizes of 8-14 series of 55-135 years length. Despite the complexity of distribution of radiocarbon ages at each site, the wealth of well-preserved wood demonstrates great promise for understanding the paleoflood history of the Oneida watershed by documenting the magnitude, location, and timing of floods. Further additional systematic sampling can add and strengthen tree-ring dating and tree-ring based flood records, confirm results, and contribute to the Holocene hydrological history of the region. Copyright © 2015 by The Tree-Ring Society.
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Do Rules of Thumb Measure Up? Characteristics of Fire-Scarred Trees and SamplesDendrochronologists studying fire history must be strategic in their search for fire-scarred tree samples. Because it is desirable to extend the period of analysis in a site by looking for old scars, recent scars, and trees with large numbers of scars, researchers have developed rules of thumb regarding which trees are most likely to meet these goals as well as where fire scars are most likely to be found. To test our assumptions and quantify patterns about tree and sample characteristics, we analyzed a dataset of 2800 samples and 16,036 scars. On average, logs had the oldest scars and live trees had the most recent scars, although both very old and very recent scars were found on snags and stumps. Scars tended to be located on the uphill sides of trees, particularly on steeper slopes. The number of years between pith date and first fire scar ranged from 2 to 473 years, with a median of 52 and a mean of 67. The data confirm that searching for a variety of sample types and looking on the uphill sides of trees are useful methods for efficient sampling and extending a fire history record. Copyright © 2015 by The Tree-Ring Society.
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Dendroecological Methods for Reconstructing High-Severity Fire in Pine-Oak ForestsRecent high-severity fires in pine-oak forests of the southwestern United States are creating shrubfields that may persist for decades to centuries. Shrubfields embedded in conifer forests that pre-date documentary records are potential evidence of older high-severity fire patches, and may therefore provide insights into the occurrence and extent of past high-severity fires and vegetation type conversion dynamics. In this paper we test whether dendroecological evidence can be used to reconstruct a high-severity, type-changing fire of known date in a ponderosa pine-dominated (Pinus ponderosa var scopulorum Engelm.) forest. Dendroecological evidence included (1) Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii, Nutt.) regeneration dates, (2) fire scars, (3) death dates, and (4) tree-ring growth changes. We reconstructed the historical fire regime and fire-climate relationship to evaluate whether the recent high-severity fire was driven by climate or fuel build-up related to a fire regime disruption. The dendroecological evidence correctly dated the year (1993) and season (spring) of the documented fire, and synchronous oak re-sprouts provided a means to estimate the minimum high-severity patch size. The historical fire regime at the site (1625-1871) consisted of frequent, low-severity fires occurring in dry years preceded by wet years. Fires stopped in 1871, coincident with increased regional livestock grazing. The 1993 fire occurred under relatively cool and wet conditions, but followed a 122-year fire-free interval (four times the maximum historical interval). Multiple lines of evidence suggest that increased fuel loads from fire exclusion, combined with high winds, were primary drivers of the high-severity fire. The dendroecological approach we outline can be applied to reconstruct high-severity fire across a range of conifer-shrubland ecosystems. Copyright © 2015 by The Tree-Ring Society.
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Bridging the Gap with Subfossil Douglas-Fir at Mesa Verde, ColoradoOld Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) trees and remnant "subfossil" logs have been found on the outcrop of a mafic igneous intrusion above the Mancos River Valley near Mesa Verde National Park. These trees and logs have been used to develop earlywood (EW), latewood (LW), and total ring width (TRW) chronologies dating from AD 722-2011. The new chronologies include good series replication during the former chronological "gap" from AD 1250 to 1400, which was so problematic for the initial development of the "Central Pueblo" chronology by A. E. Douglass. Discrete reconstructions of the cool-season (September-May) and early warm-season (June-July) moisture balance for Mesa Verde have been derived from the EW and adjusted LW width chronologies from the Mancos Valley. Cool-season drought is estimated to have been more severe and sustained than early warm-season conditions during the "Great Drought" of the late-13th Century when southwestern Colorado was depopulated. The combined archaeological, subfossil, and living tree chronologies of EW, LW, and TRW for the Mancos River and Mesa Verde Douglas-fir now date from AD 480-2011. Copyright © 2015 by The Tree-Ring Society.
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In Memoriam: Thomas G. Siccama 1936-2014Tree Ring Society, 2015-01
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In Memoriam: Vincent Roy Switsur 1929-2014Tree Ring Society, 2015-01
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In Memoriam: Gordon Jacoby Jr. 1934-2014Tree Ring Society, 2015-01
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August to July Precipitation from Tree Rings in the Forest-Steppe Zone of Central Siberia (Russia)The goal of this research report is to describe annual precipitation reconstruction from Pinus sylvestris trees on three sites in the Abakan region, located in the Minusinsk Depression, at the confluence of the Yenisei and Abakan Rivers, Russia. The study was performed during the 4th annual international summer course "Tree Rings, Climate, Natural Resources and Human Interaction" held in Abakan, 5-19 August 2013. The reconstruction, for the 12-month total precipitation ending in July of the growth year, is based on a reliable and replicable statistical relationship between precipitation and tree-ring growth, and shows climate variability on both interannual and interdecadal time scales. The regional tree-ring chronology accounts for 56% of the variance of observed annual precipitation in a linear regression model, with the strongest monthly precipitation signal concentrated in May and June of the current growing season. Composite 500 mb height-anomaly maps suggest that the tree-ring data from this site, supplemented by other regional tree-ring data, could yield information on long-term atmospheric circulation variability over the study area and surrounding region. © 2015 The Tree-Ring Society.