A 548-year long tree-ring chronology of oak (Quercus spp.) for SE Slovenia and its significance as dating tool and climate archive

Čufar, Katarina (author), de Luis Arrillaga, Martín (author), Zupančič, Martin (author), Eckstein, Dieter (author)

Tree-ring series of oak, from both living trees (Quercus petraea and Q. robur) and historic timbers in SE Slovenia were assembled into a 548-year long regional chronology spanning the period A.D. 1456-2003. It is currently the longest and the most replicated oak chronology in this part of Europe at the transition between Mediterranean, Alpine and continental climatic effects. The chronology correlated significantly with regional and local chronologies up to 700 km apart in Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Czech Republic and South Germany. It also showed a good heteroconnection - i.e. agreement with chronologies of beech (Fagus sylvatica), ash (Fraxinus excelsior) and silver fir (Abies alba) in Slovenia. A preliminary dendroclimatic analysis showed that precipitation and temperature in June accounted for a high amount of variance (r2=0.51) in the tree-ring widths. The chronology thus contains considerable potential as a climate archive. We also present its use as a tool for the dating of wooden objects of the cultural heritage. Moreover, the chronology can be a point of reference for building tree-ring chronologies in neighboring regions.

• Language: English
• Keywords: dendrochronology, Quercus spp., teleconnection, heteroconnection, dendroclimatology, palaeo-environment, dating, historic buildings, Slovenia
• Work type: Not categorized
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publisher: Tree-Ring Society with the cooperation of the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research
• Year: 2008
• Number of pages: Str. 3-15
• Numbering: Vol. 64, no. 1
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-68600
• UDC: 630*561.24
• ISSN on article: 1536-1098
• COBISS.SI-ID: 1643145
• Publication date in RUL: 10.07.2015

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Tree-ring research
• Publisher: Tree-Ring Society with the cooperation of the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research]
• ISSN: 1536-1098
• COBISS.SI-ID: 1186441