Useful Online
Databases

 

Current News

 
 

2nd International Asian Dendrochronology Conference

This conference is being Held August 20-23, 2011 in Xi'an, China, and the theme is "Climate Change: Opportunities and Challenges." From their web site: "In the latest 20 years, Asian dendrochronologists have also made great progresses. The main goal of the conference is to assemble researchers and to strengthen communications and cooperations among tree-ring researchers all over
Asia. We expect about 200 participants from all over Asia. The 2nd International Asian Dendrochronological Conference, lasting 4 days, will enhance new collaborations and stimulate intellectual exchanges amongst the researchers throughout Asia." Links on the web site provide information on Conference Committees, the Post-Conference Excursion, the Pre-conference Fieldweek, Session Topics, and the Conference Programme (once abstracts are submitted).

   

Random Tip

 
 

Pre-wrap those fragile cross-sections...

When collecting fragile samples for fire history analysis, I've found it very useful to wrap the sample tightly in-situ with plastic wrap prior to sawing with a chain saw. Make your top-cut first, wrap the sample, then make your bottom-cut after wrapping. This will keep those fire scars from flying everywhere!

   
 

Helpful Databases for Dendrochronology 

 
 

The International Tree-Ring Data Bank

One of the premier paleoclimatic databases in the world, the ITRDB contains measurements and tree-ring chronologies from over 1500 sites around the world, from over 100 tree species. This site will allow you to easily access and download one or more of these data sets. You can search by site name, tree species, contributor, chronology type, and geographic coordinates. Information is also provided to help you contribute your own tree-ring data sets, which we strongly encourage!


The Bibliography of Dendrochronology

Containing over 11,500 citations for articles, books, theses, and book chapters  relevant to dendrochronology, this database was created by Henri D. Grissino-Mayer of the Department of Geography, University of Tennessee, and placed online by Michele Kaennel Dobbertin of the Forest Ecosystems and Ecological Risks Section, Swiss Federal Institute of Forest, Snow and Landscape Research. You can search by author, keywords, species, site information, and language.


The Dendrochronology Species Database

First published in 1993 by Henri D. Grissino-Mayer in the Tree-Ring Bulletin, this database provides information about key tree and shrub species used in tree-ring research. Common names, Latin names and authority, and synonymy are provided. The searchable database was placed online with the help of Michele Kaennel Dobbertin of the Forest Ecosystems and Ecological Risks Section, Swiss Federal Institute of Forest, Snow and Landscape Research.


Multilingual Glossary of Dendrochronology

Developed by Michèle Kaennel Dobbertin of Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL in Birmensdorf, the glossary contains definitions (and much more!) of 351 terms in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. It is adapted from the Multilingual Glossary of Dendrochronology (1995, Haupt Verlag in Berne, Switzerland). Users will most certainly like the scanned images of the 120 original figures.


The International Multiproxy Paleofire Database

The purpose of the IMPD is to "create a broadly-accessible online database of fire history derived from paleoenvironmental proxy data, which will enhance our understanding of the relationships between fire and climate (drought in particular) and provide a basis for long-term fire predictions." Much of the data is derived from fire event series, using fire-scar chronologies from multiple sites in North and South America. Also contained in the IMPD are tree-ring based data sets that provide information on stand development.


Euro Catalog: Database of European chronologies

This catalog provides information on metadata for important tree-ring data sets that are archived by numerous laboratories throughout Europe. Note that the actual tree-ring data are not provided, but instead you should contact the individuals or laboratories listed and ask them whether you can access their data. You can search for one or more tree species, data held by certain laboratories, or search data by historical periods.


Bibliography of Canadian Tree-Ring Research

This is a searchable bibliography created and archived by Dr. Dan Smith of the University of Victoria Tree-Ring Laboratory for the Canadian Dendrochronology Research Group. You can search by author, year (equals, before, and after), article title, source, and keywords. The results also supply an abstract is one is available. An awesome bibliography and one that is certainly invaluable to our field.


Inside Wood

I believe this could be one of the most useful plant anatomy or wood science web sites for both education and research that has ever been developed. The Inside Wood site will have broad research appeal to scientists (wood anatomists, botanists, and biologists, to name a few), to land resource and conservation managers, to K-12 and university students, and to the general public. The comprehensive inclusion of internationally accepted definitions and criteria for identifying wood samples is extremely helpful and simultaneously educational.


The Gymnosperm Database

Created and developed by Chris J. Earle, this database allow you to choose among the different families, such as Pinaceae, then view the information for each taxon using the numerous descriptive fields, such as common names, description, range, oldest, and dendrochronology.


Online Climate Data from the NCDC

The National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, North Carolina, provides an immense amount of climate data readily accessible and ready for downloading. Data are provided for individual stations and for broader regions.


European Climate Assessment and Dataset Project
Initiated by the European Climate Support Network and supported by the Network of European Meteorological Services
EUMETNET, this extensive database has received data from 54 participants from 53 countries and the ECA dataset contains 10,748 series of observations at 2,896 meteorological stations throughout Europe and the Mediterranean.


The Global Plant Checklist

This plant checklist is my primary database for obtaining information on vascular plants. It contains information for 160,000 plants, including authority, citations, database source, geographic location, and synonymy. The best database I've found for vascular plant names.


Links for Palaeobotanists

These comprehensive web pages were developed by Klaus-Peter Kelber of the Mineralogisches Institut, Universität Würzburg. Well-organized into seven separate pages, this site provides information relevant to dendrochronologists, such as Palaeoclimate, Plant Anatomy, Palynology, Teaching Documents, Permineralized Plants and Petrified Forests, and Systematics, Taxonomy and Cladistics.