Tree-ring dating (dendrochronology) is a method of scientific dating based on the analysis of tree-ring growth patterns. As author James Speer notes, trees are remarkable bioindicators. Although there are other scientific means of dating climatic and environmental events, dendrochronology provides the most reliable of all paleorecords. Dendrochronology can be applied to very old trees to provide long-term records of past temperature, rainfall, fire, insect outbreaks, landslides, hurricanes, and ice storms--to name only a few events.
This comprehensive text addresses all of the subjects that a reader who is new to the field will need to know and will be a welcome reference for practitioners at all levels. It includes a history of the discipline, biological and ecological background, principles of the field, basic scientific information on the structure and growth of trees, the complete range of dendrochronology methods, and a full description of each of the relevant subdisciplines.
Individual chapters address the composition of wood, methods of field and laboratory study, dendroarchaeology, dendroclimatology, dendroecology, dendrogeomorphology, and dendrochemistry. The book also provides thorough introductions to common computer programs and methods of statistical analysis. In the final chapter, the author describes "frontiers in dendrochronology," with an eye toward future directions in the field. He concludes with several useful appendixes, including a listing of tree and shrub species that have been used successfully by dendrochronologists. Throughout, photographs and illustrations visually represent the state of knowledge in the field.
ISBN-13: 9780816526857
Media Type: Paperback
Publisher: University of Arizona Press
Publication Date: 02-01-2012
Pages: 360
Product Dimensions: 7.00(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.80(d)
James H. Speer is an associate professor of geography and geology at Indiana State University and is the organizer of the Annual North American Dendroecological Fieldweek. He is the current president of the Tree-Ring Society and his scholarly articles appear in leading journals including Publications in Ecology, Canadian Journal of Forest Research, Journal of Biogeography, and Climate Research.
Table of Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
Preface
Acknowledgments
List of Abbreviations
1 Introduction
2 Some Basic Principles and Concepts in Dendrochronology
3 History of Dendrochronology
4 Growth and Structure of Wood
5 Field and Laboratory Methods
6 Computer Programs and Statistical Methods
7 Dendroarchaeology
8 Dendroclimatology
9 Dendroecology
10 Dendrogeomorphology
11 Dendrochemistry
12 Frontiers in Dendrochronology
Appendix A. Tree and Shrub Species That Have Been Used by Dendrochronologists
Appendix B. Age of the Oldest Trees per Species
Appendix C. Pith Indicators
Appendix D. Field Note Cards
Appendix E. Web Resources
References
Index
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