How to Extract Climate Variability from Tree-Rings.

Tree rings have been used to reconstruct climatological variables in many locations around the world. Moreover, tree-rings can provide valuable insights into climatic variability of the last few centuries and, in some areas, several millennia. Despite the important development, that dendrochronology has had in recent decades to study the dendroclimatic potential of a large number of species present in different ecosystems, much remains to be done and explored. In addition to this, in the last few years more people (students, teachers and researchers) around the world are interested in implementing this science to extend the timeline of climate information backwards and understand how climate has changed on scales of decades, centuries or millennia. Therefore, the objective of this work is to describe the general aspects and basic steps needed to conduct a tree-ring climate reconstruction, from site selection and field sampling to laboratory methods and data analysis. In this method's video and manuscript, the general basis in tree-ring climatic reconstructions is explained so newcomers and students can use it as an available guide into this field of research.

Using Tree-Rings to Reconstruct Fire History Information from Forested Areas.

Annual tree-ring patterns are a source of ecological and environmental information including the history of fires in forested areas. Tree-ring based fire histories include three fundamental phases: field collection, laboratory methods (preparation and dating), and data analysis. Here we provide step-by-step instructions and issues to consider, including the process for selecting the study area, sampling sites, plus how and which fire-scarred trees to sample. In addition, we describe fire-scar sample preparation and dating which are done in the laboratory. Finally, we describe basic analysis and relevant results, including examples from studies that have reconstructed fire history patterns. These studies allow us to understand the historical fire frequency, changes in those frequencies related to anthropogenic factors, and analyzes of how climate influences fire occurrence over time. The description of these methods and techniques should provide a greater understanding of fire history studies that will benefit researchers, educators, technicians, and students interested in this field. These detailed methods will allow new researchers to this field, a resource to start their own work and achieve greater success. This resource will provide a greater integration of tree-ring aspects within other studies and lead to a better understanding of natural processes with forested ecosystems.

Respuesta del crecimiento de Pinus oocarpa a variables climáticas en Chiapas, México / Growth response of Pinus oocarpa to climatic variables in Chiapas, Mexico

Resumen Los estudios dendrocronológicos se utilizan para reconstruir algunas variables climáticas; en México, estos estudios se han centrado en los bosques templados del centro y del norte, donde los árboles presentan anillos anuales bien definidos. Pocos estudios se han llevado a cabo en la parte sur del país, donde el crecimiento anual del anillo no se identifica fácilmente y, por lo tanto, esto hace que la datación se dificulte. Se analizó el potencial dendrocronológico de Pinus oocarpa para la reconstrucción de variables climáticas en la porción noroeste de Lagunas de Montebello, Chiapas. Empleando un muestreo selectivo se recolectaron 65 núcleos de incremento de 34 árboles. Aunque las muestras presentaron una alta frecuencia de anillos falsos (8 a 60 %), se logró fechar 30 muestras de 22 árboles (46 %) mediante técnicas dendrocronológicas estándar y el desarrollo de cronologías de anillo total, madera temprana y madera tardía para un período de 91 años (1925-2015). Se encontró una influencia significativa de la precipitación media y de la temperatura media máxima y mínima del período 1961-2004 sobre el crecimiento anual de P. oocarpa. Los resultados muestran que la precipitación inviernoprimavera (enero-mayo) fue la más importante para el crecimiento del anillo anual de la especie. Sin embargo, la correlación más alta se observó entre la precipitación de primavera (marzo-mayo) y la cronología de la madera temprana (r = 0.719, P < 0.05). La cronología de la madera temprana también mostró potencial para reconstruir la temperatura mínima (marzo a mayo) (r = 0.732, P < 0.05), mientras que la cronología de madera tardía registra potencial para reconstruir la temperatura máxima (septiembreenero) (r = 0.714, P < 0.05). Estos resultados muestran que P. oocarpa puede emplearse para reconstruir variables climáticas en los trópicos mexicanos. Se recomienda explorar nuevas áreas con árboles más viejos a fin de aumentar la extensión de las cronologías y reconstruir los registros climáticos varios siglos en el pasado.(AU)

Abstract Dendrochronological studies are used to reconstruct some climatic variables; in México these studies have focused on central and Northern temperate forests where trees present well defined annual rings. Few studies have been carried out in the Southern part of the country where annual ring growth is not easily identified and thus makes cross-dating problematic. We analyzed the dendrochronological potential of Pinus oocarpa Schiede for reconstructing climatic variables in the Northwest portion of Lagunas de Montebello, Chiapas. We used a selective sampling approach and collected 65 increment cores from 34 trees. While our samples showed a high frequency of false rings (8 to 60 %), we were able to date 30 samples from 22 trees (46 %) using standard dendrochronological techniques and developed total chronologies for total ring width, earlywood, and latewood for a period of 91 years (1925-2015). We found a significant influence of mean precipitation and mean maximum and minimum temperature over the annual ring growth of P. oocarpa in the period 1961-2004. Our results show that winter-spring precipitation (January-May) was the most important for the species' annual ring growth. However, we found the highest correlation between spring (March-May) precipitation and the earlywood chronology (r = 0.719, P < 0.05). The earlywood chronology also showed potential for reconstructing minimum temperatures (March to May) (r = 0.732, P < 0.05), while the latewood chronology had the potential for reconstructing the maximum temperature (September to January) (r = 0.714, P < 0.05). These results showed that P. oocarpa can be used to reconstruct climatic variables in the Mexican tropics. We recommend that new areas with older trees should be explored in order to increase the depth of chronologies and reconstruct climate records several centuries into the past.(AU)