Bob- Yes Dr. David Stahle is well-received in his field, as are Drs. Henry Grissino-Meyer and Tom Swetnam, albeit from a more western location. I'm reminded of a symposium put on featuring Tom Swetnam as he explained the role of Flagstaff/Arizona in Dendrochronology. It went something like this:
Andrew Ellicott Douglass, an astronomer, single-handedly created thescience of dendrochronology. Douglas began working at the LowellAstronomical Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona in 1894. He was fascinatedwith sunspots and believed that they influenced the weather on Earth. While hiking through forests around Flagstaff, he noticed similar ringpatterns on many of the freshly cut stumps. After "reading" and comparingthese stumps, he speculated that these rings were a detailed record of theweather conditions of the past. Douglass began to hunt for samples of older and older trees. He foundthat where the life spans of the trees overlapped, they shared the same ringpatterns. Over the next twenty-five years, by carefully studying thousandsof wood samples, he was able to assemble two long sequences. One was acontinuous ring record starting in the present and extending back nearly eight hundred years. The second was based on timber found in ancient Indian settlements. This sequences ran for 585 years, but he didn't know which years! In 1929, while working with archaeologists excavating the ancient PuebloBonito ruin in Chaco Canyon, he found the missinglinks. The wood in the pueblos spanned the missing years and connected histwo chronologies into a continuous sequence spanning 1,400 years. This wasthe first master dendrochronology. A master dendrochronology is created by comparing the growth rings of many trees, then creating a growth profile covering their life span over many centuries. Douglass now had a record of the climate reaching thirteen hundred yearsinto the past, and was able to accurately cross-date wood samples from someforty prehistoric Indian sites. [http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/html/e1-search-tr2.html] This is where another Southwesterner came into play. Emil Haury, an imminent archeologist of the Southwestern cultures, had uncovered some Anastazi sites whose ceiling timbers were "from another time"...his consultation with Douglas brought about precision in assigning times to archeological events, heretofore unknown in his field...they together were able to date the construction of the archeological structure within a couple of years, and the story went something like this: Haury, the first person to learn the Douglass method of dating, spent the following year processing the huge backlog of specimens Douglass had accumulated. In the spring of 1930 he also assisted Douglass in teaching the first course on tree-ring dating at the University of Arizona. Haury played a critical role in the subsequent development of dendrochronology. He set up a tree-ring laboratory at Gila Pueblo and in his landmark excavation of the Canyon Creek ruin provided the first significant contribution to the theory of archaeological tree-ring dating theory, demonstrated the importance of sampling beams from all parts of a site, and pointed out the value of beams as artifacts for inferring past behavior. In 1937 Douglass, astronomer Edwin Francis Carpenter (1898-1963), and Haury were co-founders of the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research at the University of Arizona, with Douglass as its first director. [http://www.nap.edu/readingroom.php?book=biomems&page=ehaury.html] And that is as Paul Harvey was wont to say, "...the rest of the story". Ed- Still trying to keep the subject title consistent with thread! -Don Date: Wed, 3 Jun 2009 11:49:10 +0000 From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: [ENTS] Re: High elevation forest response to climate change and other factors Don, Mike, Our own Dr. David Stahle, Lord of the Rings, has confirmed many instances of climate impact observable in the tree rings. His work studying the El Nino oscillation cycle has been well received within the scientific community. Dave will be one of the presenters at the Forest Summit - Old Growth conference in October at Holyoke Community College. Drs. Lee Frelich, David Foster, Don Bragg will also present. Bob ----- Original Message ----- From: "DON BERTOLETTE" <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Tuesday, June 2, 2009 10:49:52 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [ENTS] Re: High elevation forest response to climate change and other factors Mike- I don't pretend to know much about NIPF in Massachusetts. I don't think you have ever read me saying the phrase global warming. I know that to be a loaded concept that hasn't been universally accepted. But I do believe that the regions I've worked and lived in are experiencing climate change outside of the natural range of climate variation. Yes, actually there is tree ring documentation to that effect. Dendrochronology started with a man named Douglas at the Flagstaff Observatory (the one that discovered "canals" on Mars), and was furthered in partnership with early archeologist Emil Haury when they discovered missing tree ring segments in Anastazi roofing timbers...there are some really intereseting regional climate graphs that have been derived from dendrochronological research carried on at the University of Arizona at their Tree Ring Lab ('google' Tom Swetnum for a broad coverage of just about everything I've said). I do however have a fair handle on forestry in the Southwest US. I can send you any number of supporting documents regarding my statements below. I stand behind my statement that all five of those points are inter-related, not separated as they were in your reply. Deconstruction doesn't work that way. Regarding your comments on bio-fuels, you may be surprised that I've supported it, particularly in the Southwest, and with smaller more efficient operations. For much of the ponderosa pine forests, conditions (4 of 5 points below) have led to abundant smallwood that despite multiple efforts, no commercial operations can handle. More acres of controlled burning occur than should (difficult not to exceed air quality regulations), and running it as bio-fuel through an efficient energy generation plant was a solution being sought in Northern Arizona. Finding the balance between constant, consistent, regular source in the amounts appropriate for the energy generated was the key, that and being located centrally to the source. The small wood fuels are abundant and burgeoning. -Don From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: [ENTS] Re: High elevation forest response to climate change and other factors Date: Tue, 2 Jun 2009 16:41:24 -0400 Don, How do you know that the current drought in the west is the worst since 600 AD? Tree ring data? I would say that unnatural fire suppression has led to invading white fir regeneration and above normal ponderosa pine regeneration as well as much of the bark beetle outbreaks. Blaming it all on global warming is bunk. Mike -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of DON BERTOLETTE Sent: Monday, June 01, 2009 4:06 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [ENTS] RE: High elevation forest response to climate change and other factors Lee- Yes, these instances are almost always not a single cause issue...in the case of higher than normal mortality of old-growth ponderosa pine forests on the North Rim at Grand Canyon, it was a combination of: 1) altered natural fire regime, 2) invading white fir regeneration, competing with 3) above normal ponderosa pine regeneration, 4) 15 years of drought (not seen this long or serious since 600 AD), 4) causing moisture/nutrient stress on large old ponderosa pines. Here in Alaska, I was around when spruce bark beetle began a run that seemed stoppable at first, but in retrospect, could have only been stopped by a succession of two or three cold winters...we never got them and some 90% of Kenai Peninsula spruce (and significant interior populations) were wiped out. I have had several conversations with Southwestern academics who are beginning to sense the migration of species to more appropriate latitudes, elevations. It's apparent that just a few degrees annual change in temperature has a surprisingly significant effect on a whole array of ecosystem constituents. -Don > Date: Mon, 1 Jun 2009 07:53:56 -0500 > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > Subject: [ENTS] Re: ENTS in the news > > > Bob, Don: > > Whitebark pine forests/woodlands are having a set complex set of > problems. White pine blister rust (an exotic disease), mountain pine > beetle (a native beetle that is in outbreak phase in many forests), and > changing climate all at once. This is affecting the relationship between > white bark pine and lodegepole pine as well, perhaps the beetle, blister > rust and droughts are helping the lodgepole to move into whitebark's > territory, while lower down the beetle is causing major mortality in > lodgepole and ponderosa pines. I am on the committees of three graduate > students who are studying whitebark pine and other high elevation > forests in the Rocky Mountains, and two of them will finish soon, so you > will see several papers on this topic be published in the next couple of > years. > > Lee > > > [email protected] wrote: > > > > Don, > > > > > > > > As best as I remember from my travels last summer to Idaho, the > > white bark pine was having problems in parts of Wyoming. But, I mostly > > saw lodgepole pine and wasn't always conscious when there was a mix of > > the two species. > > > > I'll get up to altitudes of 11,000 to almost 11,500 feet going > > across some of the Colorado passes. In southern Colorado, the > > timberline is between 11,500 and 12,000 feet. So, I should see plenty > > of high elevation forests and will dutifully report on what I see. I > > remember from 3 years ago going across Wolf Creek Pass in the San > > Juans seeing lots of beetle damage to ponderosa pines. Pines I had > > seen in the mid-1980s were dead. It was a sad sight. > > > > BTW, I'll be tracking my emails on the trip with my IPhone. I broke > > down and bought one, and so far, I love it. Apple has really thought > > through the features. Most are intuitive and even though the monitor > > is small, I can still see it. You can expand the print in a simple way. > > > > > > > > Bob > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "DON BERTOLETTE" <[email protected]> > > To: [email protected] > > Sent: Sunday, May 31, 2009 5:06:02 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern > > Subject: [ENTS] Re: ENTS in the news > > > > Bob- > > In the west in general and surely in Colorado, the media I attend to > > describes the plight of the high elevation forests, particularly the > > pines, in (what our fellow forum member Steve Springer denies) at > > least a severe prolonged drought, and perhaps one of the signs of > > global climate change. Gradient analysis may not benefit much of the > > eastern forest, but for the western forests where a watershed may > > contain an entire elevational gradient, forests are differentially > > subject to moisture stress, and are showing higher mortality than > > would be found in the natural range of variation. > > If your travels take you into the higher elevations where whitebark > > pines are found, I'd be interested in a first hand account of their > > general health. The high elevation pines I've followed in the high > > Sierras (foxtail, bristlecone, whitebark, sugar, western white) are > > taking a hit, with potential catastrophy waiting with each monsoonal > > wave of lightning storms, due to increased downed and coarse woody debris. > > > > In two weeks, I'll be assisting a friend in nominating a Kenai Birch > > for the Alaska Register, and since the National Register doesn't list > > one, perhaps we'll be nominating a National champion! > > -Don > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > > Date: Sun, 31 May 2009 19:38:23 +0000 > > From: [email protected] > > To: [email protected] > > Subject: [ENTS] Re: ENTS in the news > > > > Don, > > > > The day will come when AFs will be lauding the Pennsylvania and > > Alaska champion tree programs - and for good reason. Well, tomorrow, > > it is off to Colorado Monica and I go. I hope to report from the field > > as I go. > > > > Bob > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "DON BERTOLETTE" <[email protected]> > > To: [email protected] > > Sent: Sunday, May 31, 2009 12:05:04 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern > > Subject: [ENTS] ENTS in the news > > > > Fellow ENTS- > > Just received the current American Forests, and saving the best for > > last, they had a great article applauding Bob Van Pelt's (and ours > > too!) obsession with champion trees...it's a good read! > > -Don > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > > Hotmail® has ever-growing storage! Don’t worry about storage limits. > > Check it out. > > <http://windowslive.com/Tutorial/Hotmail/Storage?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_HM_Tutorial_Storage1_052009> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > Windows Live™: Keep your life in sync. Check it out. > > <http://windowslive.com/explore?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_BR_life_in_synch_052009> > > > > > > > > > > > </html Windows Live™ SkyDrive™: Get 25 GB of free online storage. Get it on your BlackBerry or iPhone. _________________________________________________________________ Insert movie times and more without leaving Hotmail®. http://windowslive.com/Tutorial/Hotmail/QuickAdd?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_HM_Tutorial_QuickAdd_062009 --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org Send email to [email protected] Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
