Tree Core Increment Data

TITLE
Tree Core Increment Data

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
      Eunshik Kim
      Kookmin University
      College Of Forestry, Department of Forest Resources
      861-1 Chongnung-Dong, Songbuk-Ku, Seoul 136-702
      Republic Of Korea

OTHERS INVOLVED
Herb Bormann

BEGIN DATE
1985

END DATE
1986

LOCATION
Below WS4

LOCATION DESCRIPTION
The study site was selected at a stand (approximately 2 ha in area) below WS4. The slope of the site is 10-20 deg. facing southeast. Site elevation is 445-480 m.

DATA DESCRIPTION
Time series of annual tree ring increments were collected for trees of four species: beech, white ash, yellow birch, and sugar maple. The purpose of the study was to compare these time series with a selection of measured and derived environmental variables to develop a more sensitive model of tree diameter growth.

SAMPLING DESIGN
During the winter of 1985-1986, 145 trees were selected from dominant and co-dominant trees of the 4 species at the study site. Each specie included at least 30 trees. Two cores were taken from each tree using an increment borer (0.5 cm in diameter). To reduce the variability due to slope, they were taken from two directions perpendicular to slope at the height of 1.0-1.2 m above ground. In coring, efforts were made to pass through the pith of stem. The cores were dried and glued onto wood mounts, then air-dried and fine sanded. Tree ring widths were initially measured using a Measuchron. In order to reduce error in dating the age of each core, the cores were cross-dated by checking the correspondence of growth patterns in some typical years using microscope examination and computer graphics.

REFERENCES

Kim, Eunshik. 1988. Radial Browth Patterns of Tree Species in Relation to Environmental Factors. Yale University, PhD thesis. 201 pp.

ACCESS
Public

DATA LOCATION
USDA Forest Service, Durham, NH

LAST UPDATED
1986

CONTACT PERSON
      John Campbell
      PO Box 640
      Durham, NH 03824
      Telephone: (603) 868-7643
      E-mail: jcampbell@lternet.edu

VARIABLES

TR Sequential number of trees

P Plot

S Species Code (Fraxinus americana= 1; Fagus grandifolia= 2; Acer saccharum= 3; Betula alleghaniensis= 4)

ST Site

D Direction (2 cores per tree)

AG (Estimated) total age

YR Reliable number of years for reading the increments

FR Initial year to read cores

T Total (estimated) radius read

R Reliable radius of the cores read for YR years

NOTES

Sample data:

TR   1 P  1 S 2 ST  1 D 1 AG  92 YR  90 FR 1985 T 190.25 R 188.005 09-18-1986
09-18-1986
  1985    1.695  1984    1.980  1983    1.952  1982    1.819  1981    1.984
  1980    3.041  1979    2.677  1978    2.241  1977    2.255  1976    1.573

How to read above sample data:

No 1 tree, species 2, in plot 1, site 1. Two cores were taken from the tree. For the first core, only 90 rings were read and two rings were not separately read. For the second core, only 81 rings were read and eleven rings were not separately read. The age of the tree was estimated to be 92 years. By the difference of the T (total estimated radius), the stem seems to have a non-concentric circle

The data is listed with the year, followed by the radial increment in mm.

DATA FILE NAME(S)
core.txt

TR	Sequential number of trees
P	Plot
S	Species Code (Fraxinus americana= 1; Fagus grandifolia= 2; Acer saccharum= 3; Betula alleghaniensis= 4)
ST	Site
D	Direction (2 cores per tree)
AG	(Estimated) total age
YR	Reliable number of years for reading the increments
FR	Initial year to read cores
T	Total (estimated) radius read
R	Reliable radius of the cores read for YR years