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Yale University School of Forestry & Environmental Studies FES519B - Methods of Ecosystem Analysis 1998 |
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Why would someone want to core a tree?
Over the course of a growing season, trees lay down annual growth rings; information about environmental changes and stressors are recorded in these rings. As indicators of ecosystem health, tree cores provide us with information that is not accessible any other way, except by cutting down the tree and examining the entire ring record. Incremental growth patterns recorded in tree cores also help land managers understand a forest’s "age structure" and allow them to better manage forests. The cores give us an understanding of individual growth rates and allow comparisons among species (as species grow at relatively different rates) and locations. Growth is susceptible both to abiotic conditions, such as drought and soil moisture, and to biotic impacts, including insect outbreaks and other pathogens. Trends in growth rates can be illuminated and give an historical picture of a tree’s health by each year.
Table of Contents for Tree Rings: