What can tree-ring studies tell us about the role of fire in forests?
Tree-rings and fire scars Many trees in temperate regions (those with a strong seasonal climate) produce annual growth layers that appear as rings in a cross sectional view of a tree stem. Variations in growing conditions from year-to-year produce a sequence of wide, narrow, and average ring widths. Over time the sequence forms a unique pattern that can be used like a fingerprint to determine the calendar year in which each ring was produced. This procedure is called crossdating. Events in a trees life that have a recognizable impact on its growth may also be dated once the dates of the annual rings are known. Low to moderate intensity fires that burned through a forest may injure or scar surviving trees, leaving a clear record of their passage. Records of fires from many fire-scarred trees can be compared to provide a history of the frequency, extent, and character of this process through time. Since the events can be dated to the exact calendar year, and in some cases to the season,
