@article {912, title = {Dendrochronology of Bristlecone Pine}, year = {1985}, month = {05/1985}, institution = {Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research}, address = {Tucson}, abstract = {

INTRODUCTION

Since Edmun Schulman\’s initial interest in 1953, the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research has conducted dendrochronological studies of bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva D. K. Bailey, sp. Nov.) in the White Mountains of east-central California where living trees reach ages in excess of 4,000 years. The focus of this report relates to the support by the Geology and Anthropology sections in the National Science Foundation under grant EAR-8018687 for the period 1 April 1981 to 31 October 1984 with the assistance of the Department of Energy contract no. DE-AC02-81EV10680 covering the period 1 May 1981 to 31 October 1982.

A summary of this research was recently published in Radiocarbon (Ferguson and Graybill 1983). In most cases various facets of the work were related to projects sponsored by all agencies. Therefore the full range of activities during that period is described herein. The primary project goals were:

  1. To extend the bristlecone pine chronology from the White Mountains of California beyond 6700 B.C. and strengthen it by incorporating additional specimens.
  2. To develop bristlecone pine chronologies in new areas for applications in archaeology, isotopic studies, and other earth sciences.
  3. To furnish dendrochronologically dated wood to researchers engaged in the study of past variations in carbon isotopes and climate.
}, keywords = {anthropology, Archaeology, bristlecone pine, california, carbon isotopes, chronology, climate, dendrochronology, Geology, isotopic studies, pinus longaeva, technical report, tree ring, white mountains}, author = {Ferguson, C.W. and Graybill, D.A.} } @article {926, title = {Dendrochronology of Bristlecone Pine}, year = {1984}, month = {08/1984}, institution = {Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research}, address = {Tucson}, keywords = {anthropology, Bristlecone, bristlecone pine, california, carbon isotopes, chronology, climate, dendrochronology, Geology, white mountains}, author = {Ferguson, C.W. and Graybill, D.A.} } @mastersthesis {904, title = {Fire Regime of the Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta var. murrayana) Forests of the Mt. San Jacinto State Park Wilderness, California}, volume = {Master of Science}, year = {1984}, note = {

Please contact the Laboratory of Tree Ring Research to view this thesis.

}, month = {08/1984}, pages = {93}, school = {Cornell University}, address = {Ithaca}, abstract = {

For the purpose of providing recommendations for the fire management plan of the Mt. San Jacinto State Park Wilderness, California, the natural fire regime of the lodgepole pine forests within the wilderness was determined. Fire-scarred lodgepole pine trees were cored, and their growth rings crossdated against a composite ring series, to obtain fire date estimates of fires that have burned within the forests during the last 300 years. U.S. Forest Service fire records and personal accounts were also used to determine recent fire history.

Results indicate that the fires within the lodgepole pine forests of Mt. San Jacinto probably were quite small (\< 0.4 ha). Because of this, the fire regime is probably one of low-intensity fires. Fires started principally by lightning and they generally did not spread far because of low woody fuel loading on the ground. These small fires, however, occurred quite frequently throughout the lodgepole pine forests. Fires probably burned every one to two years, and in many years, more than one fire burned. The average fire return interval for separate locations within the lodgepole pine forests was not determined exactly because most of the burned trees had only one fire-scar.

The effects of this fire-regime on the forest vegetation composition was determined. This was accomplished with multiple regression analyses of vegetative and physiographic data collected from the area of each verified fire.

In the 2500 to 2900 m elevation range, white fir generally increased in importance (relative basal area) over lodgepole pine as years since the fire increased. However, the relationships of lodgepole pine and white fir importances to the time since the fire were not statistically significant. Above 2800 m elevation, neither lodgepole pine nor limber pine importance was affected by the fire regime. Throughout the lodgepole pine forests of this wilderness area, the fire regime has not greatly affected the forest vegetation composition.

To compare two methods of obtaining fire year estimates from living, fire-scarred trees, both wedging and coring was done on ten fire-scarred lodgepole pine trees. The rings of the wedges and cores were then crossdated against a composite ring series, and the respective fire year estimates of each method were compared for each tree. Seven pairs of wedges and cores were crossdated, and each pair gave the same fire year estimate for the respective tree. In the situation of single-scarred trees, the coring method, along with dendrochronology dating, should be attempted instead of wedging, which is more destructive to the tree than coring.

Based on this study, I recommend that the fire management plan for the lodgepole pine forests of the Mt. San Jacinto State Park Wilderness contain two options for fire control. First, in areas that have heavy use by recreationists and cultural or historical benefits, fire suppression should begin immediately after a fire has been detected. Second, in all other areas, a \“let burn\” policy should be attempted, whereby the fire would be allowed to die out on its own. This would save the expense of fire suppression, which can be very costly in remote wilderness areas. These fires should be monitored in case they do burn near valuable areas. Prescribed burning is not recommended because of the weak relationship of the fire regime to the forest vegetation composition.

}, keywords = {california, coring, dendrochronology, fire, fire management, fire scar, Limber pine, lodgepole, mt san jacinto, mt san jacinto state park wilderness, pine, pinus contortata, regime, suppression, tree ring, var murrayana, wedging, white fir}, author = {Paul Sheppard} } @article {927, title = {Bristlecone Pine Project Status}, year = {1983}, month = {08/1983}, keywords = {Bristlecone, bristlecone pine, california, chronology, white mountains}, author = {Ferguson, C.W.} } @article {924, title = {Unsolicited Proposal Submitted to the Department of Energy for Dendrochronology of Bristlecone Pine}, year = {1980}, month = {04/1980}, institution = {Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research}, address = {Tucson}, abstract = {

Since 1953 the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research has conducted dendrochronological studies of bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva D. K. Bailey, sp. nov.) in the White Mountains of California. This research resulted in the establishment of a continuous tree-ring sequence of 8,680 years which proved to be a unique source of chronological data and provided precisely dated wood specimens essential to certain paleoenvironmental and geophysical investigations. Dendrochronologically dated decade samples of bristlecone pine continue to be supplied to C-14 laboratories for the calibration of the radiocarbon time scale, a development of far reaching consequences in the fields of archaeology and geology. To more fully understand the causative factors, especially the activity of the sun, a critical need exists to better define the fluctuations and trends of the C-14 curve through even stronger and earlier bristlecone pine controls. In addition, recent advances in other methods of analyzing past climatic variability \–particularly techniques involving stable isotope ratios\—have greatly increased the demand for wood of known age and, hence, for chronology development.

During the past 18 months, the early portions of the chronology have been greatly strengthened and extended. The objective of the proposed research is to continue the extension of the bristlecone pine chronology further into the past and to strengthen it by incorporating additional dated specimens from the White Mountains and nearby areas. Prospects for a 10,000-year chronology appear increasingly possible.

}, keywords = {Bristlecone, bristlecone pine, C-14, california, chronology, dendrochronology, department of energy, pinus longaeva, radiocarbon, white mountains}, author = {Ferguson, C.W.} } @article {921, title = {Analysis of Bitterbrush Stems from Mt. Hebron, California}, year = {1974}, institution = {Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research}, address = {Tucson}, keywords = {bitterbrush, california, cross date, dendrochronology, mt hebron, purshia tridentata, tree ring}, author = {Harlan, T.P.} } @article {935, title = {Interim Progress Report Dendrochronology of Bristlecone Pine}, year = {1968}, month = {06/1968}, institution = {Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research}, type = {Interim Progress Report}, address = {Tucson}, keywords = {bristlecone pine, california, dendrochronology, NSF, pinus aristata, progress report, radiocarbon, white mountains}, author = {Ferguson, C.W.} } @article {934, title = {Continuation of Studies on the Dendrochronology of Bristlecone Pine (Pinus aristata Englem.) (Continuation of Research Grant NSF-G 19949): A Research Proposal }, year = {1963}, month = {05/1963}, institution = {Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research}, type = {Research Proposal}, address = {Tucson}, abstract = {

The original research grant NSF-G 19949, effective October 1, 1961, for the dendrochronology of bristlecone pine has made it possible: (1) to develop a workable chronology extending back 3850 years, (2) to carry out studies of tree growth as related to environmental parameters through two field seasons, and (3) to make some statistical comparisions which indicate (a) that there is no significant difference between young and old trees in radial growth response to environmental variables, (b) that there are significant correlations between bristlecone pine and other coniferous species extending up to 1000 miles east and southeast, and (c) that there is strong evidence that bristlecone pine will provide a good basis for extending climatic interpretations to at least 2600 B.C.

The present request is for funds: (1) to complete an exact chronology made possible through the study of both living and dead material in the White Mountains of California; (2) to extend the chronology building to other key tree-ring areas in the Colorado River Basin with the aim of determining the past climatic chronology; (3) to statistically evaluate the various chronologies thus established for interrelations with climate and with other tree-ring series; (4) to continue the environmental studies and evaluations through a third growing season, 1964; (5) to determine the biological model of cause and effect and its statistical counterpart for estimating climate from these tree-ring series; and (6) to provide for the closely integrated radiocarbon analysis of tree-ring material.

The results will be used (1) to strengthen dendrochronological dating and to provide a master tree-ring chronology which can be used by climatologists, archaeologists, radiocarbon investigators, and others; (2) to strengthen and geographically extend the dendroclimatological studies of Schulman (1956), especially in the Colorado River Basin; (3) to provide, when integrated with various environmental studies now being conducted, a stronger basis for environmental interpretations, based on the difference in radial growth shown by trees that respond primarily to differences in precipitation. This information will be of great value to meteorologists, hydrologists, and others, including the Inter-Union Commission on Solar and Terrestrial Relationships.

}, keywords = {bristlecone pine, california, chronology, colorado river basin, dendrochronology, dendroclimatology, extend, NSF, pinus aristata, white mountains}, author = {McGinnies, W.G.} } @article {939, title = {Ramifications of Chronology Building in Bristlecone Pine}, year = {1963}, month = {11/1963}, institution = {Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research}, type = {Written From Tape Recording of Talk}, address = {Tucson}, keywords = {bristlecone pine, california, chronology building, climate, radiocarbon dating, ramifications, white mountains}, author = {Ferguson, C.W.} } @article {938, title = {Report on the Chronology Phase of the Bristlecone Pine Study}, institution = {Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research}, address = {Tucson}, keywords = {bristlecone pine, california, chronology phase, dendrochronology, extend, pinus aristata, white mountains}, author = {Ferguson, C.W.} }