Tree-Ring Talk

A wide variety of information or 'metadata' is required when undertaking dendrochronological sampling.  Traditionally, researchers record observations and measurements on field notebooks and/or paper recording forms, and use digital cameras and hand-held GPS devices to capture images and record locations.  In the lab, field notes are often manually entered into spreadsheets or personal databases, which are then sometimes linked to images and GPS waypoints. This process is both time consuming and prone to human and instrument error.

We offer a diverse variety of science field classes – on the UA Campus at the Bryant Bannister Tree Ring Building, at Tumamoc Hill, and at field sites in the Catalina Mountains - where students learn that science is a dynamic process of gathering and evaluating information. We adapt our innovative approach to work with teachers and students of all ages and grade levels, depending on the needs of your students.

Annual tree growth is tightly regulated by climate.  As air temperature increases, evaporative demand also increases, changing the dynamics of water availability in forest ecosystems.  By correlating tree growth with precipitation, temperature, climatic water deficit, and vapor pressure deficit, we show that higher temperatures decrease tree growth across all spatial scales and regions.  We use a novel dataset of Douglas-fir chronologies from 122 sites distributed throughout all mountain regions and a broad range of climate regimes in the western United States.  By sampling throughout “clim