Here are a few key points about the global distribution of tree-ring data based on reviewing it in Google Earth: - Much of the data comes from North America, particularly western North America with sites in California, the Rocky Mountains, and Alaska/Canada. There are also many sites in the eastern U.S. - Europe also has a significant amount of data, especially from Scandinavia and the Alps. Sites also exist across Spain, France, Germany, and other countries. - Asia has tree-ring data primarily from Siberia and the Himalayas/Tibetan Plateau. There are also some sites in China, Japan, and other parts of Asia. - South America has a fair

2. KEVIN ANCHUKAITIS
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
FRI MAR 4, 2011
BLEGEN 445
3:30 PM
A THOUSAND YEARS OF
HUMAN HISTORY AND THE
ASIAN MONSOON FROM
TROPICAL TREE RINGS

3. THE PRINCIPLE OF
AGGREGATE TREE GROWTH
THE PRINCIPLE OF
REPLICATION
STANDARDIZATION

4. TREE-RING WIDTH DATA
pith
bark

6. S A M P L I N G S T R AT E G I E S
Photograph: Neil Pederson

7. h p://esp.cr.usgs.gov/data/atlas/li le/

8. h p://esp.cr.usgs.gov/data/atlas/li le/

9. h p://esp.cr.usgs.gov/data/atlas/li le/

10. THE PRINCIPLE OF
ECOLOGICAL AMPLITUDE
A tree species may grow and reproduce over a certain range of
habitats; that range is described as its ecological amplitude.
Trees that grow near the margins or limits of their ecological
amplitude are o en sensitive to changes in their environment.

11. h p://esp.cr.usgs.gov/data/atlas/li le/

12. Photograph: Phil Camill

13. Average temperatures are remarkably consistent at treeline locations around the world
Source: Körner and Paulsen, Journal of Biogeography, 2004

14. Photograph: Greg Brooks

16. Photograph: a rancid amoeba

17. High
Low
Forest interior Semiarid forest border
DECREASING EFFECTIVE PRECIPITATION
INCREASING VARIABILITY IN ANNUAL PRECIPITATION
MORE DAYS WHERE MOISTURE IS LIMITING TO PROCESSES IN TREE
c.f. Fri s, 1976

18. High Av
era
ge
r ing
-w
idt
Ar h
bo
ria
ld
om
ina
nc
e
Low
Forest interior Semiarid forest border
DECREASING EFFECTIVE PRECIPITATION
INCREASING VARIABILITY IN ANNUAL PRECIPITATION
MORE DAYS WHERE MOISTURE IS LIMITING TO PROCESSES IN TREE
c.f. Fri s, 1976

19. High
S
NG
RI
N T
Low B SE
PERCENT A
Forest interior Semiarid forest border
DECREASING EFFECTIVE PRECIPITATION
INCREASING VARIABILITY IN ANNUAL PRECIPITATION
MORE DAYS WHERE MOISTURE IS LIMITING TO PROCESSES IN TREE
c.f. Fri s, 1976

20. High
E S
R E
T
N
EE
TW
BE
N
T IO
LA
RE
O R
Low C
Forest interior Semiarid forest border
DECREASING EFFECTIVE PRECIPITATION
INCREASING VARIABILITY IN ANNUAL PRECIPITATION
MORE DAYS WHERE MOISTURE IS LIMITING TO PROCESSES IN TREE
c.f. Fri s, 1976

21. ‘Complacent’

22. ‘Sensitive’

23. COMPLACENT SENSITIVE
High
E S
R E
T
N
EE
TW
BE
N
T IO
LA
RE
O R
Low C
Forest interior Semiarid forest border
DECREASING EFFECTIVE PRECIPITATION
INCREASING VARIABILITY IN ANNUAL PRECIPITATION
MORE DAYS WHERE MOISTURE IS LIMITING TO PROCESSES IN TREE
c.f. Fri s, 1976

24. Complacent Sensitive
Fri s, 1976

25. THE PRINCIPLE OF
SITE SELECTION
Dendrochronologists should apply the principles of
limiting factors and ecological amplitude to determine
which trees are most likely to provide information about a
specific environmental signal.

26. THE PRINCIPLE OF AGGREGATE TREE GROWTH
Rt = At + Ct + δD1t + δD2t + Et

27. h p://esp.cr.usgs.gov/data/atlas/li le/

28. Photograph: Phil Camill

29. ecotone a transitional area where one plant community
changes into another, usually caused by changes in the
environment such as changes in elevation or soil
characteristics.

30. TARGETED vs. RANDOM

31. Photograph: mullica

34. where do we find old trees?

35. OLDLIST h p://www.rmtrr.org/oldlist.htm

36. Eastern OLDLIST h p://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/~adk/oldlisteast/

37. Trees can grow anywhere!

39. Intermountain bristlecone pine 4,844 years
Photograph: Tom Harlan

40. h p://esp.cr.usgs.gov/data/atlas/li le/

41. Methuselah Ridge
Photograph: Tom Harlan

42. Bristlecone comparison photos

43. Wind erosion on bristlecone tag
Photograph: Tom Harlan

44. Bristlecone vista
Alerce 3,622 years
Photograph: Tim Waters

45. distribution map of
FITZROYA CUPRESSOIDES

46. Giant sequoia 3,266 years
Photograph: Julie Jordan Sco

47. h p://esp.cr.usgs.gov/data/atlas/li le/

48. Photograph: Byron Hetrick

49. Bristlecone vista
Coast redwood 2,200 years
Photograph:hoppinjonn

50. h p://esp.cr.usgs.gov/data/atlas/li le/

51. Photograph: Brandi Korte

52. The Seward oak 330 yr?
Photograph: Ralph Sievert

53. White pine 1714
Photograph: Kurt Kipfmueller

54. White cedar 1452
Photograph: Danny Margoles

55. Leonardo da Vinci
b. 1452 d. 1519

57. IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS OF PONDEROSA PINE TREES AT DIFFERENT LIFE STAGES
Live crown Trunk Likely
Crown shape Branches Bark
ratio shape injuries
Old trees fla ened, ‘bonsai’ shape,
sparse and open, may be
small; o en fire-pruned few but large columnar smooth,
small flakes,
fire scars, dead
tops, broken
(>200 yr) lopsided. pale orange
or grey
branches, lightning
scars, rot, burls,
exposed roots
Young trees pointed top, ‘teardrop’ or
‘Christmas tree’ shape,
large many fine branches,
dense foliage near
tapered large, coarse
flakes, deep
very few, possible
mistletoe or
(<150 yr) dense foliage the trunk fissures, dark
gray or black
lightening scars
with dark orange
Source: Huckaby et al., 2003

58. Crown shape
fla ened, ‘bonsai’ shape,
sparse and open, may be
lopsided.

59. Branches
few but large

60. Trunk shape
columnar

61. youngest
IDEALIZED SILHOUETTES OF middle
PONDEROSA PINES
oldest
good sites poor sites
Source: Huckaby et al., 2003

62. Dr. Neil Pederson Lamont-Doherty Earth Observation

63. Pederson, N. 2010. External characteristics of
old trees in the Eastern Deciduous Forest.
Natural Areas Journal 30, 396:407.

64. SIX
CHARACTERISTICS OF OLD TREES
smooth bark
low stem taper
high stem sinuosity
crowns with few, thick, twisting limbs
low crown volume
low ratio of leaf area to trunk volume

65. Quercus alba <150 yr, with flaky bark
Photograph: Neil Pederson

66. Quercus alba >250 yr, with low ridging
Photograph: Neil Pederson

67. Liriodendron tulipifera ca. 80 yr
Photograph: Neil Pederson

68. Liriodendron tulipifera ca. 500 yr
Photograph: Neil Pederson

69. Quercus muehlenbergii ca. 399 yr, with a low stem taper
Photograph: A. Wiggs

70. Lirodendron tulipifera showing serpentine bole and characteristic crown architecture
Photographs: Neil Pederson

71. Quercus muehlenbergii ca. 348 yr, with a few large branches in its crown
Photograph: Neil Pederson

72. Photograph: Diane Main

73. L. tulipifera with broken crown (le ) and a celery top crown (right)
Photograph: Neil Pederson

74. “ Size ma ers not. Look at me.
Judge me by my size, do you?
Hm? Mmmm.”
Yoda

75. Q. montana 250 to 350+ yrs, U ertown NJ
Photograph: Neil Pederson

76. Quercus montana Quercus montana
428 yr 427 yr
Quercus montana
411 yr
Photograph:s Neil Pederson

77. where do we find tree-ring data?

78. INTERNATIONAL
TREE-RING
DATABANK
h p://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/treering.html

82. Exercise!
Use Google Earth to review the global
distribution of tree-ring data.