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Type: Journal Article
Author(s): Harold C. Fritts; Thomas W. Swetnam
Publication Date: 1989

This chapter reviews basis for some fundamental techniques, principles, and practices of dendroecology. Dendroecology refers to applications of dendrochronological techniques to problems in ecology. The important ecological problems for which dendroecological techniques are well suited include widespread outbreaks of herbivorous insects in forests, tree decline observed in forests of central and northern Europe and in some areas of the United States, and potential environmental changes brought about by the rising concentration of atmospheric CO2 and other gases. A variety of structural characteristics of tree rings, such as width, wood density, and vessel size exhibit variability from one ring to the next. The principles and practices of dendroecology—namely, uniformitarianism, limiting factors, crossdating, standardization, variance of the mean and the signal-to-noise ratio, sample replication, tree and site selection, calibration and verification, and modeling are essentially the fundamental framework for understanding the discipline of dendroecology. It is noted that these principles are not laws or rules of nature but are well-tested best inferences based upon known facts at a particular time.

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Citation: Fritts, Harold C.; Swetnam, Thomas W. 1989. Dendroecology: a tool for evaluating variations in past and present forest environments. Advances in Ecological Research 19:111-188.

Cataloging Information

Topics:
Regions:
Alaska    California    Eastern    Great Basin    Hawaii    Northern Rockies    Northwest    Rocky Mountain    Southern    Southwest    International    National
Keywords:
  • age classes
  • arthropods
  • bibliographies
  • Choristoneura spp.
  • climatology
  • community ecology
  • computer program
  • coniferous forests
  • conifers
  • dendrochronology
  • dendroecology
  • diameter classes
  • disturbance
  • ecosystem dynamics
  • fire exclusion
  • fire suppression
  • forest management
  • forest types
  • insects
  • logging
  • mortality
  • mosaic
  • pine forests
  • Pinus ponderosa
  • plant communities
  • plant growth
  • plant species diversity
  • population density
  • population ecology
  • Pseudotsuga menziesii
  • sampling
  • seasonal activities
  • seedlings
  • soils
  • statistical analysis
  • succession
  • surface fires
  • tree rings
Tall Timbers Record Number: 5708Location Status: In-fileCall Number: Journals-AAbstract Status: Okay, Fair use, Reproduced by permission
Record Last Modified:
Record Maintained By: FRAMES Staff (https://www.frames.gov/contact)
FRAMES Record Number: 20428

This bibliographic record was either created or modified by Tall Timbers and is provided without charge to promote research and education in Fire Ecology. The E.V. Komarek Fire Ecology Database is the intellectual property of Tall Timbers.