Dendrochronology Field Studies

Dendrochronology is one of the most versatile disciplines in the physical and cultural sciences. The science uses tree rings that are dated to their exact year of formation to analyze the temporal and spatial patterns of environmental and cultural processes. Applications include, but are not limited to, climatology, forestry, hydrology, glaciology, archeology, and ecology. The method takes advantage of the fact that trees are nature's ultimate environmental monitoring stations. In this course, students will learn how to read the language of trees and how to use this information to learn about past and present environmental processes.

During the course, students will design and conduct a research project that examines an ecological phenomenon or a related topic using dendrochronology. A 3 day field trip to Jasper National Park is included in the course and will expose students to previous dendrochronological work and multiple different ecosystems.