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Resources for Dendrochronologists
An incredible amount of information is readily available to
those interested in dendrochronology, of which most sources are
listed below. Simply place the mouse on the line containing the
desired link, and click away. By "resources," I mean a site where
you can learn about tree-ring research or connect to a site that
will help you do your tree-ring research. You may want to know where
to buy equipment or what workshops are held for those interested in
dendrochronology. If you're interested in learning which
institutions or which scientists are conducting tree-ring research,
be sure to go to the "Links" page using the button on the
left. If
you or your colleagues learn of any new sites that you feel would be
a valuable addition to this listing of resources, be sure to contact
me at the address at the bottom of this page and let me know what
you found!
Conferences and workshops
5th South American Dendrochronological Fieldweek
The 5th South American Dendrochronological Fieldweek that will
be held in Faxinal do Céu, Paraná State, Brazil, 17-24 January 2009. This field course
is a part of a series of dendrochronology and dendroecology courses
taught throughout South America since 2000 (San Martin de los Andes,
Argentina, 2000; San Pablo de Tregua, Chile, 2003; Pró-Mata, Rio
Grande do Sul, Brasil, 2005; Puerto Blest, Patagonia, Argentina,
2008). Through the Dendrochronological Fieldweek, we aim to
familiarize researchers and graduate students with the growth rings
of trees and their many applications to environmental sciences. Well
recognized dendrochronologists will guide groups of students to the
resolution of particular topics through field and laboratory rich
discussions. We hope all participants will enjoy and profit with
this opportunity to learn details of this valuable technique of
environment research as well as will take advantages to develop
personal contacts that could lead to significant future
collaborative research.
A course offered to graduated students in fields of Biology,
Agronomy, Forestry, Geography, Archaeology, Ecology, and related
disciplines. Due to logistical reasons, the maximum number of
participants has been established at 30 students. In case the number
of applicants exceeds the established maximum number of
participants, the Coordinator will determine the order of the
definitive list of participants.
*ALL CORRESPONDENCE TO:*
Dr. Paulo Cesar Botos (e-mail:
botosso@cnpf.embrapa.br)
Dr. Fidel Alejandro Roig (email: froig@lab.cricyt.edu.ar)
First American Dendrochronology
Conference
Called "AmeriDendro 2008," the
conference will be held 23 to 27 June in Vancouver, British
Columbia, Canada. The conference "is intended for academics,
scientists, students, and managers interested in tree-ring research
and its application in climatology, environmental sciences,
archaeology, geology, resource management, conservation, policy, and
society." Immediately preceding the conference will be the 18th
Annual North American Dendroecological Fieldweek. The 2008 meeting
will be the first of a series of AmeriDendro Meetings, which are
scheduled to be held every fourth year.
Climate Change
and Dendrochronology in Caspian
Ecosystems
Organized by the
Caspian Ecosystems Research Institute and the
Natural Resources Faculty, this conference will be held on May 20th and
21st, 2008 in Sari, Iran, one of the first-ever conferences on
dendrochronology in this portion of southern Asia. This
symposium will focus on the impacts of climate change on Caspian
ecosystems as well as hyrcanian forest sectors around the Caspian
Sea and elsewhere. Fields to be covered include Dendroclimatology, Wood Anatomy, Tree
Physiology, Fire History, Stable Isotopes, Crossdating and Paleobotanical Studies, and
Forest Ecology.
First
Asian Dendrochronology Conference
Held September
9-15, 2007, this conference focused on and summarized the most
recent scientific achievements in this multidisciplinary field in
Southeast Asia, helped arrange innovative joint projects, and last
but not least, introduced graduate students and young scientists
from Asian countries into this promising field. The results expected
from this conference will give scientists a better understanding of
the close relationship between monsoon climate and tree growth, and
the tree-ring network envisaged for Asia will support a closer
cooperation and exchange of data and ideas within this
region.
International Winter School on
Wood Anatomy of Tree Rings
This popular annual
workshop provides scientists with a venue to learn about the wood
anatomy of tree rings in extraordinary detail. In 2008, the winter
school will be held at Klosters Dorf, Switzerland from 23 to 29 November. the workshop is
hosted by Holger Gärtner and Fritz Hans Schweingruber of the Swiss
Federal Institute of Forest, Snow and Landscape Research. A very
important part of the course is the additional teaching of different
anatomical preparation techniques.
North American Dendroecological
Fieldweek
The North American Dendroecological Fieldweek (NADEF)
provides an intensive learning experience in dendrochronology.
Previous experience in field and laboratory-based tree-ring
techniques is not required. Participants range from new initiates in
the field to seasoned veterans with over 20 years or longer of
experience. Group leaders of the fieldweek are among the top
scientists in the various fields of global environmental change.
Everybody that participates in the fieldweeks learns new
things because the projects and locations are different every
year.
TRACE 2008: Tree Rings in Archaeology, Climatology and
Ecology
TRACE
2008 will be held 27-30 April 2008 in Zakopane, Poland. Initiated by
the Association for Tree-Ring
Research (ATR,
the TRACE conferences "seek to strengthen the network and scientific
exchange of scientists and students involved in the study of tree
rings." The conference provides a relaxes atmosphere in which young
scientists and students are given the opportunity to present
concepts, ongoing and finished work. The scope of the meetings
includes all fields of dendroecology.
International Dendroecological
Fieldweek
This
year, the fieldweek will be held 14-20 September 2008 in the
Loetschen Valley of Switzerland. Topics will cover the full spectrum
of dendrochronological issues (climate, ecology, geomorphology,
archeology ...) and foster cross-disciplinary links. Each topic will
include keynote lectures, field work, sample preparation and
tree-ring analyses in small groups. At the end of the week all
participants are expected to present a poster of their results and
there will be ample opportunity for discussion. Teachers will
include Ulf Büntgen, Paolo Cherubini, Jan Esper, David Frank, Holger
Gärtner, Patrick Fonti, Kerstin Treydte, Valerie Trouet and Fritz
Schweingruber.
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EuroDendro
The EuroDendro
conferences take place every two years at some location in Europe.
In 2008, the conference is hosted by the Institute of Wood Science
and Technology at the University of Natural Resources and Applied
Life Sciences in Vienna, Austria, and will be held in historic
Hallstatt, Austria. The theme of the conference is "The
Long History of Wood Utilization." Four sessions will be
presented on: (1) forest and wood utilization, (2) dendroclimatology,
(3)wood formation and wood anatomy, and (4)
forest growth,
dynamics and protection against mass
movements. EuroDendro is the traditional conference of
the European dendrochronologists. These conferences have always been
arranged by members of the European Working Group for
Dendrochronology. Although EuroDendro conferences are traditionally
European meetings, all scientists are invited to
participate.
Tucson Tree-Ring Summer School
The
world-famous Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research at the University of Arizona annually hosts a
three-week, intensive summer school that provides course credits.
The Laboratory usually offers short summer courses in three
disciplines of dendrochronology, including studies in
dendroclimatology, dendroecology, and dendroarchaeology. In 2007,
classes will convene May 14-June 1. Contact information:
Dendroclimatology: Malcolm Hughes, 520-621-6470, or Ramzi Touchan,
520-621-2992. Dendroecology: Don Falk, 520-626-7201, or Tom Swetnam,
520-621-2112. Dendroarchaeology: Ron Towner,
520-621-6465.
7th International Conference on
Dendrochronology
International conferences in tree-ring research are held once
every four years, and the last meeting was held recently 11-17 June
2006 in Beijing, China. The meeting, which was a huge success, was
organized by the Tree-Ring Society, the Association for Tree-Ring
Research, and the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of
Sciences. Detailed information about the conference can still be
accessed at this web site.
Tree-ring, climate, and paleoclimatic
data
The International Tree-Ring Data
Bank
The ITRDB contains over 3,300 tree-ring
chronologies and over 2,400 measurement data sets from around the
world, representing data from over 100 species in more than 50
countries. The ITRDB is housed at the National
Climatic Data Center in Asheville, North Carolina, USA.
This site has numerous, very useful links to software for graphing
tree-ring data, and has an excellent search engine that allows easy retrieval
and downloading of all the tree-ring data sets.
Other tree-ring data
sets:
- DIFMAP
Reconstructed temperature and precipitation from tree
rings in North America, made available by Harold C.
Fritts.
- Numerical
Data Package 002
Tree-ring chronology indices and reconstructions of
precipitation in central Iowa, USA, made available by T.J. Blasing
and D.N. Duvick.
- FORAST
Database
Data from the immense project "Forest Responses to
Anthropogenic Stress," made available by S.B. McLaughlin et
al.
- Olympic
Peninsula Subalpine Tree-Ring Data
Annual growth measurements
for the subalpine trees Abies lasiocarpa and Tsuga
mertensiana in the Cascade and Olympic Mountain areas of
Washington State, USA, made available by David
Peterson.
- Climate
Since A.D. 1500
Tree-ring data discussed in Chapters 15, 16, 17, 19,
20, 23, and 24 are available via ftp. Be sure to read the "read
me" file for more information. Made available by the individual
contributors and the National Geophysical Data Center.
The International
Multiproxy Paleofire Database
The purpose of the IMPD is to "create a
broadly-accessible online database of fire history derived from
paleoenvironmental proxy data, which will enhance our understanding
of the relationships between fire and climate (drought in
particular) and provide a basis for long-term fire predictions."
Much of the data in the paleofire datadase is derived from fire
event series, using fire-scar chronologies from multiple sites in
North and South America. Also contained in the IMPD are tree-ring
based data sets that provide information on stand
development.
The National Climatic Data
Center
A
common question I'm asked all the time concerns locating various
types of climatic data for comparing with tree growth. Personally,
I've obtained most of my data through this link to the NCDC. From
here, you can download temperature, precipitation, Palmer Drought
Severity Index, and degree-day climatic data, just to name a few,
right to your computer!
NOAA Paleoclimatology
Program
This link connects to the National
Geophysical Data Center Paleoclimatology Program in Denver,
Colorado, which also acts as the World Data Center - A for
Paleoclimatology, and the IGBP PAGES (International
Geosphere-Biosphere Program Past Global Changes) Data Coordination
Center. From here you can access all kinds of paleoclimatic data,
including ice core data, tree-ring data, documentary data, pollen
data, and sedimentary data.
References and books
The Bibliography of
Dendrochronology
Help with locating and obtaining references vital to
one's research is always important when initiating research. The
bibliographic database was compiled and is constantly maintained by
Henri D. Grissino-Mayer, and placed online with the immense help of
Michéle Kaennel Dobbertin at the Swiss Federal Institute of Forest,
Snow and Landscape Research, Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
Useful Journals in
Dendrochronology
The Tree-Ring Bulletin,
begun in 1934 as the official newsletter of the newly-formed Tree-Ring
Society, was the first journal to provide an outlet for
research about tree rings. In 1983, the journal
Dendrochronologia appeared, providing an additional and
important outlet for tree-ring research with an emphasis on European
research. The next page will provide information about these
journals and many more!
Proceedings of
the Conference on Tree Rings, Environment and
Humanity
The proceedings from the international conference held in
Tucson, Arizona, in 1994 are being distributed, and you can order
volumes from this link. The volume contains some 82 peer-reviewed
papers in all areas of dendrochronology, from climate studies and
archaeology to ecological and disturbance studies. Cost of the
volume is $US 65.
Learn more
about tree-ring research
Association for Tree-Ring
Research
This newly-formed association is
particularly aimed at research groups and individual scientists
working primarily in Europe, especially those new to the field who
wish to learn more about their nearby colleagues. These web page are
well-organized, very colorful, very entertaining, and very
informative. Go here to learn more about the association, upcoming
conferences, discussion groups, and databases. Interestingly, you
can upload information about your own group, such as recent
publications. Joining the ATR is extremely easy with their
Membership page!
The Tree-Ring Society
This society
is the sole organization dedicated to dendrochronology. Its missions
are to
- To promote tree-ring
research to the global scientific community
- To facilitate
organization of symposia, conferences, and workshops on all
aspects of tree-ring research
- To publish results of
tree-ring studies
- To disseminate
knowledge of dendrochronology to other disciplines and to the
public
This web site has links
that provide information on membership in the society (including how
to subscribe to the society), how to receive the society's flagship
journal (Tree-Ring Research), meetings and workshops
sponsored by the society, and a link to the society
by-laws.
Crossdating Tree Rings Using
Skeleton Plotting
Paul Sheppard has developed what
is surely the best site that demonstrates the principle of
crossdating. On these excellent well-written pages, you'll find
information about ring-growth anomalies, complacent versus sensitive
ring patterns, pattern matching, dendrochronological applications,
and more. Dr. Sheppard also provides an easy-to-use Java applet
where you can actually try your hand at creating "skeleton plots,"
which aid the dendrochronologist in crossdating tree-ring patterns!
A highly recommended site!
The ITRDB Dendrochronology Forum on the
Internet
The ITRDB Forum (ITRDBFOR) on the
Internet was established in 1988 by Harold C. Fritts to promote
communication among dendrochronologists around the world. It has
been managed since 1988 by Henri D. Grissino-Mayer. Today, the forum
has 600 members from 33 countries. This link will provide you with
more detailed information, such as how to join and participate, how
to find out who its members are, and what kinds of discussions you
can expect!
CanDendro: Canadian
Dendrochronology Research Group
CanDendro is a very comprehensive archive of information
related to Canadian dendrochronology, including lists of
laboratories, contact information, a link to a massive bibliographic
database, a photo gallery, and most importantly, a link to
dendrochronology collections in Canada. CanDendro also operates a
list moderated by Dan Smith of the University of
Victoria Tree-Ring Laboratory. CanDendro enables CDRG members and
student dendrochronologists to post items of interest or to ask
questions of the Canadian tree ring community.
Hal Fritts's
DendroPower
This link includes information about
PRECON Version 5.01, software designed to help investigate the
climate/tree growth relationship, and TREERING 2.0, a process model
of tree growth with daily time steps. Hal also provides information
about obtaining his many references, some out of print, and about an
internet discussion list he manages about cambial activity and
tree-ring structure.
The Bristlecone Pine Home
Page
Perhaps one of the most beautiful of all Web
Pages, these pages, designed by Leonard Miller, describe all one
needs to know to become familiar with the bristlecone pine trees
(Pinus longaeva) of the western United States. These are the
oldest known trees in the world, attaining ages in excess of 5,000
years. These pages have received numerous awards from those
who monitor the best of the Web sites.
Educational
resources
Tree-Ring Cross Sections, from
Outsource Solutions
This company is a primary
supplier of tree-ring cross sections. They offer cross
sections from six different tree types, two coniferous and four
deciduous types found in the northern U.S. The sections range from
2.5" - 4" in diameter and 3/8" thick. They offer red pine, white
pine, oak, walnut, ash, and basswood rounds. The rounds can be
purchased individually or as a set. Using the variety of tree types,
educators can teach tree aging, growth patterns, wood density,
wood structure and tree identification. The company supplies
cross-sections to wholesalers and those developing educational kits,
and discounts are available. E-mail, outsource@compufort.com.
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Introduction to Dendrochronology
Finally,
someone has put together a basic set of "how-to" web pages designed
to help anyone get started doing basic dendrochronology! Brian C.
McCarthy and Darrin S. Rubino designed these excellent pages as part
of a presentation at the Ecological Society of America conference,
and the pages are used by the Plant ecology class at Ohio
University. You'll learn how to use an increment borer, how to core
a tree, how to mount and prepare the cores you obtain, how to
crossdate the rings using skeleton plots, and you'll also learn how
to analyze the climatic properties of the ring widths themselves.
These pages assume that you have the minimal basics to do the
analyses, hence most classes should be able to do these
exercises.
The World of
Trees
"This educational site is a production of
Domtar Inc., in cooperation with the Commission scolaire de la
Seigneurie-des-Mille-Îles, le Fonds de l'autoroute de l'information
(FAI) and the ministère de l'Éducation du Québec, to inform and
entertain." A wonderful site, and very informative for elementary
schools regarding tree rings. Click on the upper left side of the
page where it says "Enter here," and choose any of the options
available from the next framed page. For example, in the left pane,
you will see a section called "A Year in the Life of a Tree," which
contains information about tree rings, with many pictures of trees
as well!
NOAA Paleoclimatology Program
Educational Slide Set of Tree Rings
Bruce
Bauer and Connie Woodhouse of the NOAA Paleoclimatology Program,
located at the National Geophysical Data Center in Boulder,
Colorado, USA, have put together an excellent set of 20 slides that
teach basic principles of tree rings and tree-ring dating, including
applications of tree-ring research. The set includes "color photos
depicting dendrochronological techniques, including tree coring in
the field, sample preparation, cross-dating, standardization, and
chronology building. Photos and graphics of tree physiology as well
as climatic interpretations derived from tree ring data." The set of
slides costs US$25.00.
Tales Trees
Tell
Hal
Fritts has begun a new series of stories about trees and
tree rings designed specifically for "kids and grownup kids
interested in what trees mean to me with emphasis on the science of
dendrochronology and physiological processes governing the climate
and growth relationships." His first story is called The Wisdom
of the Ancients and feature the bristlecone pine trees, the
oldest known trees in the world. His second story is called A Day
with the Giants, and his third is A Year in the Life of a
Pine Tree. These links can be found about half-way down Hal's
Home page - to view the file you'll need to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader (which is also free).
Well worth your time - truly marvelous stories!
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Guide to
Dendrochronology for Educators
Lori Martinez of
the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, along with Rex Adams and Henri
D. Grissino-Mayer, created a web page to be used by both teachers
and students interested in learning more about dendrochronology.
This information can be used to supplement a lesson plan or to
expand your basic knowledge of dendrochronology principles. The
target audience for this page are middle and high school science
teachers and students, and anyone else interested in a non-technical
review of tree-ring dating.
Tree
Rings: A Study of Climate Change
This link is
provided by the Science Applications International Corporation
(SAIC) in conjunction with their Athena staff (which provides
and distributes instructional material). It's a very nicely laid out
page that introduces tree rings and the role they play in
understanding climate change, with plenty of definitions and great
images. The page is also heavily influenced by tree-ring research in
the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.
The Why Files: Science Behind the
News
The Why Files are funded by the National
Science Foundation, and intended for use by elementary through high
school students. Students get to ask questions and, in essence,
create their own mini-forums with students with similar interests. A
major section is entitled "The Climatologist's Toolbox" - select
this, and you'll see a link to information about tree rings in
response to one such question!
More Important
Resources
Glaciers and Climate in the
Recent Past
The Glaciological Department of the
Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow
has been together a series of web pages dedicated to the study of
Paleoglaciology. Led by Dr. Olga Solomina and her colleagues, The
web site aims "to disseminate the information on glacier and climate
changes of the FSU in the recent past and to establish contacts with
similar groups of researchers worldwide." You will also find
information on the use of tree-ring data to learn about past glacial
activity!
Extract-o-Borer
Many of us know the
agony of getting our increment borers irretrievably stuck in a tree
or log. We turn and turn and the borer just does not back out. At
this stage, we can try using parachute cord to pull the borer out, a
come-along, or even a car's scissors jack! Milton Barber and his
daughter Adelia have put together a nifty portable device for
getting a borer unstuck. Go here to see its design and see pictures
of the Extract-o-Borer in action!
Clickable Species Zone Map of
the United States
Need to learn what species of
tree, shrub, or vine you may have in your state? Go here, click on
your state, and a list of regional species will then be listed. You
can also click on the species name to bring up a photo gallery and
more detailed information on the dendrological characteristics of
the species! A great learning site! Made available by the Virginia
Tech Forestry Department and the USDA Forest Service.
Links for
Palaeobotanists
These comprehensive web pages were
developed by Klaus-Peter Kelber of the Mineralogisches Institut,
Universität Würzburg. Well-organized into seven separate pages, this
site provides information relevant to dendrochronologists, such as
Palaeoclimate, Plant Anatomy, Palynology, Teaching Documents,
Permineralized Plants and Petrified Forests, and Systematics,
Taxonomy and Cladistics.
Velmex, Inc.
Velmex is the company that makes and distributes
the linear-encoded measurement stages and displays that are in
popular demand by the dendrochronological community. The company
also distributes the Metronics QC-10V digital displays and all other
hardware components needed for tree-ring measurement. To find out
more, contact them at their e-mail address, available from their Web
page! (I highly recommend purchasing this
system.)
Agricultural Electronics
Corporation
Dendrographs and dendrometers provide
means for detailed analysis of tree growth patterns. The
Agricultural Electronics Corporation specializes in the design and
implementation of recording dendrographs and dendrometers. Founded
by Bill Gensler, this company has been working with various members
of the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research in Tucson Arizona to measure
various aspects of tree growth and electrochemistry throughout the
growing season. They can be reached at:
Agricultural Electronics Corporation
P.O. Box 50291
Tucson,
AZ 85703-1291 USA
520-624-7656
520-624-9720 (fax)
wgensler@phytogram.com
Sylva WorldWide
Web
Perhaps one of most beautiful and
well-organized of web sites, this site provides information about
forestry at the Université Laval in Sainte-Foy, Quebec, Canada. The
dendrochronologists at the Université Laval are some of the most
prolific, and publish some of the highest quality research in
dendrochronology. These pages are published in both French and
English. Be sure to check out the "Virtual Forest."
The World Wide Web Virtual Library
of Forestry
An immense listing of resources
available to those interested in forestry, with useful information
about tree-ring research. Put together by the Finnish Forest
Research Institute, this library has information about: journals,
newsletters, mailing lists, bibliographies, publications,
legislation, and forest policy.
Past Global Changes (PAGES)
Project
Tree-ring data play a vital function in
PAGES, a core project of the IGBP that is "... charged with
providing a quantitative understanding of the Earth's past
environment and defining the envelope of natural climate variability
within which we can assess anthropogenic impact on the Earth's
biosphere, geosphere, and atmosphere. Through the organization of
coordinated national and international scientific efforts, PAGES
seeks to obtain and interpret a variety of paleoclimatic records to
provide the data for the validation of predictive climate
models." |
