TY - RPRT T1 - Dendrochronology of Bristlecone Pine Y1 - 1985 A1 - Ferguson, C.W. A1 - Graybill, D.A. KW - anthropology KW - Archaeology KW - bristlecone pine KW - california KW - carbon isotopes KW - chronology KW - climate KW - dendrochronology KW - Geology KW - isotopic studies KW - pinus longaeva KW - technical report KW - tree ring KW - white mountains AB -

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.
PB - Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research CY - Tucson ER - TY - RPRT T1 - Dendrochronology of Bristlecone Pine Y1 - 1984 A1 - Ferguson, C.W. A1 - Graybill, D.A. KW - anthropology KW - Bristlecone KW - bristlecone pine KW - california KW - carbon isotopes KW - chronology KW - climate KW - dendrochronology KW - Geology KW - white mountains PB - Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research CY - Tucson ER - TY - THES T1 - Fire Regime of the Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta var. murrayana) Forests of the Mt. San Jacinto State Park Wilderness, California Y1 - 1984 A1 - Paul Sheppard KW - california KW - coring KW - dendrochronology KW - fire KW - fire management KW - fire scar KW - Limber pine KW - lodgepole KW - mt san jacinto KW - mt san jacinto state park wilderness KW - pine KW - pinus contortata KW - regime KW - suppression KW - tree ring KW - var murrayana KW - wedging KW - white fir AB -

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.

PB - Cornell University CY - Ithaca VL - Master of Science N1 -

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

ER - TY - RPRT T1 - Bristlecone Pine Project Status Y1 - 1983 A1 - Ferguson, C.W. KW - Bristlecone KW - bristlecone pine KW - california KW - chronology KW - white mountains ER - TY - RPRT T1 - Unsolicited Proposal Submitted to the Department of Energy for Dendrochronology of Bristlecone Pine Y1 - 1980 A1 - Ferguson, C.W. KW - Bristlecone KW - bristlecone pine KW - C-14 KW - california KW - chronology KW - dendrochronology KW - department of energy KW - pinus longaeva KW - radiocarbon KW - white mountains AB -

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.

PB - Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research CY - Tucson ER - TY - RPRT T1 - Analysis of Bitterbrush Stems from Mt. Hebron, California Y1 - 1974 A1 - Harlan, T.P. KW - bitterbrush KW - california KW - cross date KW - dendrochronology KW - mt hebron KW - purshia tridentata KW - tree ring PB - Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research CY - Tucson ER - TY - RPRT T1 - Interim Progress Report Dendrochronology of Bristlecone Pine Y1 - 1968 A1 - Ferguson, C.W. KW - bristlecone pine KW - california KW - dendrochronology KW - NSF KW - pinus aristata KW - progress report KW - radiocarbon KW - white mountains PB - Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research CY - Tucson ER - TY - RPRT T1 - Continuation of Studies on the Dendrochronology of Bristlecone Pine (Pinus aristata Englem.) (Continuation of Research Grant NSF-G 19949): A Research Proposal Y1 - 1963 A1 - McGinnies, W.G. KW - bristlecone pine KW - california KW - chronology KW - colorado river basin KW - dendrochronology KW - dendroclimatology KW - extend KW - NSF KW - pinus aristata KW - white mountains AB -

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.

PB - Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research CY - Tucson ER - TY - RPRT T1 - Ramifications of Chronology Building in Bristlecone Pine Y1 - 1963 A1 - Ferguson, C.W. KW - bristlecone pine KW - california KW - chronology building KW - climate KW - radiocarbon dating KW - ramifications KW - white mountains PB - Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research CY - Tucson ER - TY - RPRT T1 - Report on the Chronology Phase of the Bristlecone Pine Study Y1 - 0 A1 - Ferguson, C.W. KW - bristlecone pine KW - california KW - chronology phase KW - dendrochronology KW - extend KW - pinus aristata KW - white mountains PB - Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research CY - Tucson ER -