Tree-Ring Talk

Longitudinal Variation in Wood Accumulation Along the Stem of Populus grandidentata: Implications for Forest Carbon Monitoring

Direct measures of forest wood production are often based on measures of individual tree growth along the stem, often taken at a single height: basal height (1.3 meters). This assumes that a measurement of wood production at a single height is representative of wood production along the whole stem. In violation of this assumption, it is known that trees do accumulate wood differentially along the stem.

A Tree-Ring Perspective on the Impact of Climate Change on North American Tree Growth

The fate of forests in a warming world is of major ecological, societal, and economic concern. Forests play a key role in the combined carbon-water-nutrient cycle, including important ecosystem services and feedbacks to the climate system. Historically, forests have been an important carbon sink because of an excess of net primary production (NPP) compared to ecosystem respiration, but the future of this carbon sink is increasingly in question, as NPP may decline in a warming world.

Archaeology of Central Kazakhstan: Recent Improvement of Chronology Empowers Studies of Eurasian Steppe Prehistory

Kazakh archaeologist Emma Usmanova has been studying Bronze Age prehistory of the Eurasian Steppe and making significant contributions to comprehensive understanding of population dynamics and cultural evolution of the Steppe for the last 30 years. The first part of this talk is focused on the impact of absolute dating on the development of multidisciplinary research at the Lisakovsky archaeological complex, the key site of the Andronovo community in Kazakh grasslands.

UA-Vitae Revelations for those needing to submit annual report

This year, Tree-Ring Lab. faculty who submit annual reports must now use the University of Arizona reporting system called UA Vitae.  Because this is the first time LTRR faculty will use this system, and it has a steep learning curve and is probably not as intuitive as the designers imagine, this session will help introduce the Vitae platform, provide tips for how to navigate it, answer questions, and provide some personal guidance for attendees.  Attendees are welcome to bring their laptops and follow along with the tour of the site and its features.

Australian Artist Nicholas Mangan Presents His Works

Visiting artisit Nicholas Mangan will be giving a presentation about his past and current projects and talk about what has brought him from Australia to work with Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research. Please join us for this exciting event. To see more work by Nicholas Mangan please visit http://www.nicholasmangan.com/ 

Preparing your sample collections for archiving: Q&A discussion about what you should be doing

Primarily an opportunity for question and answer, this forum will include a very brief refresher on the primary reasons for archiving specimens followed by review of procedures.

Late winter post-volcanic temperature response in western North America: relationships with ENSO phases — AND – Recent California and western Nevada precipitation deficits in the context of the last half-millennium

Dr. Wahl will discuss his most recent published work in western North America paleoclimatology, done in conjunction with Drs. Henry Diaz, Jason Smerdon, and Caspar Ammann

Low-frequency streamflow signal from cottonwood tree rings

Tree-ring reconstructions from ring widths of upland trees are a longstanding source of information on variability of streamflow.  Such trees sense variations in net precipitation in runoff-producing parts of a watershed.  While riparian trees are much less commonly applied in streamflow reconstruction, large multi-aged populations of riparian trees offer the opportunity to improve reconstructions of streamflow through alternative standardization methods and a direct pathway of response of growth to changes in stream level.

Megafires, climate, and future forests

Wildfires of uncharacteristic severity interact with climate change and other disturbances to alter dry pine forests in western North America and the Mediterranean Basin. These fires present challenges for society and for the sustainability of ecosystems. While there are many differences between regions and nations, there are opportunities for comparative studies to assess current megafires and forecast future ecosystem change. 

Drought-Associated Tree Mortality: Global patterns and insights from tree-ring studies in the Southwestern U.S.A.

Forests play an important role in the earth system, regulating climate, maintaining biodiversity, and provisioning human communities with water, food and fuel. Interactions between climate and forest dynamics are not well constrained, and high uncertainty characterizes projections of global warming impacts on forests and associated ecosystem services. Recently observed tree mortality and forest die-off forewarn an acceleration of forest change with rising temperature and increased drought.

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