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Dendrochronology: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Assess Wooden Cultural Heritage Worldwide

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A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Wood Science and Forest Products".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 25309

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Prof. Dr. Tomasz Wazny

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Guest Editor

Institute for the Study, Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage, Nicolaus Copernicus University, 87-100 Toruń, Poland
Interests: dendrochronology; dendroarchaeology; wood anatomy; wood science
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Ignacio García-González

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Guest Editor

Departamento de Botánica, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, EPSE, Campus Terra, 27002 Lugo, Spain
Interests: tree-ring dating; dendroecology; wood anatomy; forest history
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is dedicated to dendrochronology and its classical application—the study of cultural heritage and the human past. We intend to present dendrochronology not only as a dating method but as a well-established science to be applied for reconstruction of the knowledge of our history and prehistory. The subject of study is forest products preserved as standing wooden constructions, archaeological timbers, shipwrecks, art objects, or charcoal pieces. Their wood preserves old tree rings—witnesses of past landscapes and vegetation, archives of past climate and environment—which reflect periods of climatically stimulated periods of human activity, linked to the rise and fall of ancient civilizations. Crucial historic questions may thus be resolved with annual precision. This Special Issue offers an opportunity to present dendrochronology at the interface between science and humanities, e.g., archaeology and the history of art, architecture, settlements, shipbuilding, the timber trade, and wood working, as well as interactions between humans and environment in the past. Old tree rings are a unique witness of past forests that no longer exist.

Prof. Dr. Tomasz Wazny
Dr. Ignacio García-González
Guest Editors

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Keywords

dendrochronology
dendroprovenancing
archaeology
ancient wood
timber trade
forest exploitation
wood dependent cultures
shipbuilding

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 7117 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Discovering the Unknown History of the Utilization of Pinus heldreichii in Wooden Structures by Means of Dendroarchaeology: A Case Study from Metsovo (Northern Greece)

by Anastasia Christopoulou, Barbara Gmińska-Nowak, Eleftheria Tsakanika and Tomasz Ważny

Forests 2022, 13(5), 719; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13050719 - 4 May 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2265

Abstract

(1) Background: Pinus heldreichii is a long-living tree subalpine species commonly used for climate reconstruction. Nevertheless, its potential for dendroarchaeology and dating of historical timber remains unknown. In Metsovo and in the surrounding area of Pindus National Park (Northern Greece) it is commonly used for the construction of buildings and wooden objects and artifacts. (2) Methods: We examined timber found in historical buildings within the study area and we tried to date it using local reference chronologies of Bosnian and Black pines. (3) Results: Bosnian pine chronologies can be used to date timber from historical buildings, while they can also be used as reference chronologies against Black pines, giving very high cross-dating values. Therefore, and since the macroscopic identification of the two species’ timber is impossible, the analysis of wood anatomy is necessary to distinguish the two species in the case of historical wood. (4) Conclusions: The current paper presents the first application of dendroarchaeology for Bosnian pine and highlights the potential of the species in studying cultural heritage and the human past. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dendrochronology: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Assess Wooden Cultural Heritage Worldwide)

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7 pages, 2658 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dateless Dendroarchaeology

by Ronald H. Towner

Forests 2022, 13(2), 281; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13020281 - 10 Feb 2022

Viewed by 1567

Abstract

The strength of dendrochronology is chronology. No other non-textual dating technique in the world provides the precision, accuracy, and resolution of dendrochronology. Indeed, dendrochronology is famous for dating prehistoric ruins, and Douglass’ “Bridging the Gap” is still considered one of the greatest achievements in archaeology anywhere, but what happens when samples don’t date? Should they simply be discarded as useless, stored until better chronologies and new techniques are available, or do they contain useful information for current research interests? Using undated collections from the southwestern US and northwestern Mexico, this paper discusses a variety of behavioral and environmental information present in samples, even if they cannot contribute to our chronological knowledge. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dendrochronology: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Assess Wooden Cultural Heritage Worldwide)

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15 pages, 3429 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Forest Exploitation and Wood Supply: A Dendroarchaeological Approach between the Massif Central and the Southern Alps since the Middle Ages

by Lisa Shindo, François Blondel and Vincent Labbas

Forests 2022, 13(2), 275; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13020275 - 9 Feb 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2255

Abstract

Numerous dendroarchaeological studies have been carried out in buildings in the south-eastern quarter of France, which has enabled us to lay the foundations for a first regional restitution of forest stands in the medieval and modern periods, based on the species, diameters, ages and growth rhythms of the trees used by humans. The 2369 pieces of dated softwood timber are mainly larch and fir from the Massif Central and the Alps mountains. Larch seems to have been used mostly locally in the Alps, whereas fir was certainly exported from the two regions to the lowland towns. Very little felling has been identified in the historically troubled 13th–14th century. For the moment we have not identified any fir trees used before the 15th century in the Alps, whereas they are present in the Massif Central from the 12th century. Growth of fir timbers show little variation over time while larch timbers present an increase in growth between those felled until the 12th century and those felled from the 15th century onwards. Finally, since firs from the Massif Central show a higher age trend than those from the Alps, this can serve as a model for identifying the source forests of the timber used in the Rhône valley. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dendrochronology: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Assess Wooden Cultural Heritage Worldwide)

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13 pages, 80913 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Creating a Millennial-Long Chronology in Northern Canada: Dendroarchaeological Dating of the Moose Horn Pass Caribou Fence (KjRx-1), Mackenzie Mountains, NT

by Gary Beckhusen, Glenn Stuart, Leon Andrew, Glen MacKay, Thomas Andrews and Colin Laroque

Forests 2022, 13(2), 221; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13020221 - 1 Feb 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1799

Abstract

The Moose Horn Pass Caribou Fence site (KjRx-1) consists of three wooden fences located in a remote area of the Mackenzie Mountains in Canada’s Northwest Territories. Situated in the traditional homeland of the Shúhtagot’ine (Mountain Dene), they were used to assist past hunters to harvest northern mountain caribou by channeling multiple animals toward kill zones. The main fence is nearly 800 m in length and terminates in a corral structure after descending from high ground into a valley. The two smaller fences are located north and south of the main fence, and they do not descend into the valley. Standard dendrochronological methods were employed to determine the ages of wood taken from the fence structures. Seventy-five living white spruce (Picea glauca) trees in the area were cored to determine the overall tree-ring growth patterns in the local environment. The chronology of living trees was supplemented by the inclusion of 29 standing-dead trees to establish a longer chronology of dated ring widths. Sixty-two of 89 cross-sections cut from the fence timbers were crossdated and added to the overall chronology, which created a well-replicated chronology of ring-widths from 972 to 2016 C.E. The terminal dates of material from the three fence systems suggest that the complex was built from trees that died over a wide temporal period, spanning the years 1314 to 1876 C.E, with clusters of dates between ca. 1420–1480 and 1580–1750 C.E. The millennial-long chronology developed in this study can now be used as a base to assist in dendroarchaeological dating of many more artifacts from the region. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dendrochronology: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Assess Wooden Cultural Heritage Worldwide)

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19 pages, 7183 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Gönpa Gang—The First Application of Dendrochronological Dating to Study the Traditional Architecture of Upper Mustang (Nepal)

by Barbara Gmińska-Nowak, Achyut Tiwari and Tomasz Ważny

Forests 2022, 13(1), 95; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13010095 - 10 Jan 2022

Viewed by 2618

Abstract

Gönpa Gang is an example of the traditional Buddhist architecture of Upper Mustang. It is also the first monument in Upper Mustang to be studied using the dendrochronological dating method. The gönpa is a two-story building of imposing size, made from simple elements of Tibetan architecture, namely masonry walls, timber posts, and beams. A total of 14 samples were collected from elements on both the ground and the first floor. The limited number of samples results from the cultural and religious character of the object under study. Only the elements consistent with the structure and the space arrangement, interpreted as original features, were examined. Microscopic observation and the analysis of the anatomical features of all 14 samples resulted in the identification of Himalayan pine (blue pine), Pinus wallichiana A.B. Jacks. Intra-annual density fluctuation, false rings, and missing rings were detected. From 14 samples collected in Gönpa Gang, 18 series were worked out. Thus, 15 series from 12 samples were synchronized and used for the development of the mean chronology, UMGG_m, with a total length of 160 rings. The chronology covers the period from 1524 to 1683. Examination of the Gang Gönpa wood resulted in the age determination of 13 elements. The results were compared with architectural stratification by Harrison and historical data from written sources. The timber used in the gönpa comes from the Southern Mustang area. The examined wood demonstrates a correlation with the timber used in the Upper Mustang historical buildings further north. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dendrochronology: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Assess Wooden Cultural Heritage Worldwide)

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26 pages, 20134 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Woodland Management Practices in Bronze Age, Bruszczewo, Poland

by Marzena Kłusek and Jutta Kneisel

Forests 2021, 12(10), 1327; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12101327 - 28 Sep 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2803

Abstract

The article presents a study of wood excavated from archaeological site in Poland (2100–1650 BC). The large amount of collected samples created a unique opportunity for research because the subfossil wood was in very good preservation state. This made it possible to carry out dendrotypological analysis. This is the first such study conducted for Early Bronze Age timber originating from Poland. The main goal of the study was to determine whether the presence of strong and abrupt reductions and releases of growth, observed within tree-ring sequences, is due to natural stand dynamics, results from the influence of extreme environmental factors or whether they should be linked to specific silvicultural practices already known in ancient times. Another purpose of the study was to determine the type of forest management techniques applied to the trees growing in Bruszczewo site. The research was conducted using the dendrochronological method. In addition to the measurements of growth-ring width, the development of earlywood and latewood zones, the proportion of sapwood and the presence of specific features of tree trunks were analysed. A detailed study allowed identifying the samples originating from coppiced and shredded trees. A characteristic feature of the trees subjected to these silvicultural practices is the presence of strong and abrupt reductions and releases of growth. Moreover, coppiced trees were specified by the large proportion of sapwood in the cross-section of the stem, reduced number of sapwood rings, small and numerous earlywood vessels, diminished earlywood vessels area. In turn, shredded trees distinguished themselves by a strong reduction in the earlywood width in the years following the shredding event. The research of archaeological wood from the ancient settlement proves that during the Early Bronze Age various forest management techniques were used in this site. These treatments were aimed at improving the quality and quantity of the raw material harvested from forest areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dendrochronology: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Assess Wooden Cultural Heritage Worldwide)

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21 pages, 5019 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How Cultural Heritage Studies Based on Dendrochronology Can Be Improved through Two-Way Communication

by Johannes Edvardsson, Gunnar Almevik, Linda Lindblad, Hans Linderson and Karl-Magnus Melin

Forests 2021, 12(8), 1047; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12081047 - 6 Aug 2021

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4970

Abstract

A significant part of our cultural heritage consists of wood. Research on historical wooden structures and artefacts thereby provides knowledge of people’s daily lives and the society in which they lived. Dendrochronology is a well-established dating method of wood that can also provide valuable knowledge about climate dynamics, environmental changes, silviculture, and cultural transformations. However, dendrochronology comes with some limitations that end users in cultural heritage sciences must be aware of, otherwise their surveys may not be ultimately performed. We have drawn attention to studies in which dendrochronological results have been misinterpreted, over-interpreted, or not fully utilized. On the other hand, a rigorous dendrochronological survey may not respond to the request of information in practice. To bridge this rigour-relevance gap, this article has considered and reviewed both the dendrochronology’s science-perspective and the practitioner’s and end user’s call for context appropriate studies. The material for this study consists of (i) interviews with researchers in dendrochronology and end users represented by cultural heritage researchers with focus on building conservation and building history in Sweden, and (ii) a review of dendrochronological reports and the literature where results from the reports have been interpreted. From these sources we can conclude that a continuous two-way communication between the dendrochronologists and end users often would have resulted in improved cultural heritage studies. The communication can take place in several steps. Firstly, the design of a sampling plan, which according to the current standard for sampling of cultural materials often is required, is an excellent common starting point for communication. Secondly, the survey reports could be developed with a more extensive general outline of the method and guidance in how to interpret the results. Thirdly, the potential contribution from dendrochronology is often underused, foreseeing historical information on local climate, silviculture, and choice of quality of the wooden resource, as the focus most often is the chronological dating. Finally, the interpretation of the results should consider all the available sources where dendrochronology is one stake for a conciliant conclusion. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dendrochronology: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Assess Wooden Cultural Heritage Worldwide)

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12 pages, 3846 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Latewood Ring Width Reveals CE 1734 Felling Dates for Walker House Timbers in Tupelo, Mississippi, USA

by Thomas W. Patterson, Grant L. Harley, David H. Holt, Raymond T. Doherty, Daniel J. King, Karen J. Heeter, Ashley L. Chasez, Alyssa C. Crowell and Ian M. Stewart

Forests 2021, 12(6), 670; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12060670 - 25 May 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2079

Abstract

Dendroarchaeology is under-represented in the Gulf Coastal Plain region of the United States (US), and at present, only three published studies have precision dated a collection of 18th–19th-century structures. In this study, we examined the tree-ring data from pine, poplar, and oak timbers used in the Walker House in Tupelo, Mississippi. The Walker House was constructed ca. the mid-1800s with timbers that appeared to be recycled from previous structures. In total, we examined 30 samples (16 pines, 8 oaks, and 6 poplars) from the attic and crawlspace. We cross-dated latewood ring growth from the attic pine samples to the period 1541–1734 (r = 0.52, t = 8.43, p < 0.0001) using a 514-year longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) latewood reference chronology from southern Mississippi. The crawlspace oak samples produced a 57-year chronology that we dated against a white oak (Quercus alba L.) reference chronology from northeast Alabama to the period 1765–1822 (r = 0.36, t = 2.83, p < 0.01). We were unable to cross-date the six poplar samples due to a lack of poplar reference chronologies in the region. Our findings have two important implications: (1) the pine material dated to 1734 represents the oldest dendroarchaeology-confirmed dating match for construction materials in the southeastern US, and (2) cross-dating latewood growth for southeastern US pine species produced statistically significant results, whereas total ring width failed to produce significant dating results. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dendrochronology: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Assess Wooden Cultural Heritage Worldwide)

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15 pages, 3871 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Aegean Trees and Timbers: Dendrochronological Survey of the Island of Symi

by Anastasia Christopoulou, Barbara Gmińska-Nowak, Yasemin Özarslan and Tomasz Ważny

Forests 2020, 11(12), 1266; https://doi.org/10.3390/f11121266 - 27 Nov 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2999

Abstract

The current study presents the results of the first dendrochronological survey performed over the East Aegean island of Symi. Research Highlights: Dendrochronological research of the East Aegean region is of paramount importance since dendrochronological data from the region, and especially the islands, are still limited. Background and Objectives: The main aim of the study is to explore the dendrochronological potential of the island, focusing on the dating of historical wood and buildings as well as dendroprovenancing. Materials and Methods: A total of 57 wood samples were collected from historical timber from windmills and architectural elements, including doors and warehouse planks, while 68 cores were collected from the three dominant tree species of the island—Cupressus sempervirens, Pinus brutia, and Quercus ithaburensis subsp. macrolepis—in an attempt to develop local reference chronologies that could be useful in dating historical timber Results: Of the historical timber, at least nine different species have been detected, with conifers representing the majority of the collected material. In total, 56% of the dendroarchaeological samples, belonging to four different species, were dated absolutely. According to cross-dating and dendroprovenancing results, Pinus nigra, Cedrus sp., and Quercus sp. represent timber imported from present-day Turkey while the fir samples collected from the windmills originate from Central Europe. The use of local timber is also highly probable although it could not be confirmed by the reference chronologies developed for the three dominant tree species of the island. Conclusions: The results of the study reveal the dendrochronological potential of the island from both dendroarchaeological and dendroecological perspectives. The finding that most of the wood was imported mainly from Turkey highlights the importance of timber trade with the Turkish mainland during the mid-18th and 19th centuries. Chronologies developed from living trees could be used in future studies for dating historical material while further research would increase our understanding of past timber trade and the island’s history. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dendrochronology: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Assess Wooden Cultural Heritage Worldwide)

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