High-resolution data from Australian trees

Abstract

Dendrochronology offers data with unparalleled spatial and temporal resolution but the technique has received only sporadic attention in Australia. The techniques deserve wider application in the resolution of contentious issues such as tree population dynamics, fire histories and atmospheric change. Convergence of ecological and palaeoecological research scales, recent technical developments and a growing willingness to experiment mark a watershed in Australian dendrochronology. Progress in dendrochronology in Australia requires transect studies to examine species and site effects by rapid survey techniques, interdisciplinary approaches to extract the full range of proxy data in wood and environmental modelling to calibrate and interpret tree records. Future rewards include annually resolved data across the landscape for the last few hundred years providing answers to questions regarding tree recruitment, fire regimes and the impact of CO₂ enrichment.