Tree-ring samples from bur oak in eastern Nebraska are analyzed and found suitable for dendroclimatic analysis. Four methods of standardization are used to develop four 233-year master chronologies. ANOVA statistics and response functions based on each chronology are examined. Response functions based on both single- station and regional climatic data are analyzed and compared. The information provided by response function analysis varies considerably depending upon choice of standardization option, number of eigenvectors extracted, and generalization of climatic data (station or region). A response function based on the polynomial chronology and 46 years of regional climatic data relates 53.4% of the chronology variance to climate and 70.4% to climate plus prior growth. The bur oak master chronology provides valuable proxy evidence for periods of moisture stress experienced during exploration and settlement of eastern Nebraska.

Eight modern oak tree-ring chronologies are presented in index form. The sites are in Scotland and England. Chronology statistics including signal-to-noise ratios are presented, the latter ranging from 3.6 to 13.2. From calculations of response functions, the percent variance attributable to climate over a 14 month period before and including the growing season was found to range from 33 to 72 %. Classical criteria of site selection were shown to bear little relation to the final variance due to climate in the chronology.

Sixteen modern Nothofagus solandri tree-ring chronologies, developed from sites near the alpine timberline, South Island, New Zealand are presented. The statistical properties of the chronologies are similar, having high mean sensitivity values (mean of 0.34), moderate autocorrelation values (mean of 0.50), and high common variance values (mean of 42 %). However, the chronologies are mainly less than 300 years in length. Examination of interchronology variation suggests that the similarity between two chronologies decreases with increasing distance. It is concluded that these chronologies offer considerable potential for reconstructing palaeoclimates, especially palaeotemperature.

Spline functions were examined and compared with conventional polynomials for use in filtering nonclimatic variance from tree-ring width series. Both types of curve were fitted to ring-width series exhibiting particularly marked effects of competition and release from competition with neighboring trees during the last 100 years. Available climatic data from that interval were used to statistically evaluate the capabilities of each type of function for removing nonclimatic effects and preserving the climatic signal. The results suggest that both types of function can be used successfully for those purposes, though in the presence of extremely rapid changes in growth rate due to a sudden release from competition it may be necessary to divide the ring-width series into two segments and fit a separate curve to each segment. Tightly-fit polynomials seem to be about as effective as splines, but are less desirable from a computational point of view as, for example, when the magnitude of the (negative) exponents of the coefficients exceeds computer capacity. Further, a spline function can be prescribed from its frequency-response characteristics, so it is possible to specify in advance the extent to which it will filter out any potential climatic cycles.

A simple method of testing the statistical significance of the summary response function derived by Pilcher and Gray is given and applied to European oak data.

Five modern Nothofagus menziesii tree-ring chronologies, developed from sites near the alpine timberline, South Island, New Zealand, are presented. The properties of the chronologies are described; as a group they have high mean sensitivity values (mean of 0.31), moderate autocorrelation values (mean of 0.42) and moderate common variance values (mean of 31 %). One site, lying some 200 km distant from the others, is the least similar of the five chronologies. It is concluded that both the long length of N. menziesii chronologies and the proximity of trees to the alpine timberline present considerable potential for reconstructing palaeotemperatures.

Populus balsamifera grows farther north than any other tree in North America. In northern Alaska, these trees have clear annual growth rings, and reach ages over 230 years. High year-to-year variability in ring widths permitted ready crossdating. A chronology prepared using paired cores from 16 trees exhibits mean sensitivity (0.48) and standard deviation (0.50) values much higher than those obtained from most conifer species in the Arctic. First order autocorrelation (0.43) is also lower than most Arctic species. A strong correlation (r =0.47) with June temperature suggests balsam poplar may provide a good record of growing season temperature.

Dendrochronological problems in dating tropical tree species are responsible for a large gap in global dendroclimatic reconstructions. Study of Cedrela and Juglans in the low-latitude forests of northern Argentina and Bolivia has resulted in development of four chronologies. These genera have good tree-ring characteristics, and statistics indicate that they have good potential for dendroclimatology. Longer series should be obtained from older stands.

February-April (FMA) temperature at Foping (1879-1989) and July-August (JA) precipitation at Xian (1895–1988) have been reconstructed using total ring width (TRW) and maximum latewood density (MXD) from trees in the Qinling Mountains, at the northern limit of the East Asian monsoon, in central China. The Xian JA precipitation reconstruction, albeit short, represents the first well-replicated, crossdated dendroclimatic reconstruction of summer monsoon precipitation for this region. Reconstructed Xian precipitation shows significant positive relationships with historical evidence from the region. The key feature of the precipitation reconstruction is prolonged summer drought during the late 1920s and early 1930s. The Foping reconstruction displays warmer-than-average FMA temperatures during this time period. These exploratory reconstructions, along with a previous reconstruction from Huashan, demonstrate the complexity of attempting dendroclimatic reconstructions from this region. Our results indicate that further attempts to locate long-lived conifers from here can result in an extended well-calibrated and verified reconstruction of summer monsoon precipitation.

This research examines the influence of western dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium campylopodum) infection on the radial growth response of mature ponderosa pines (Pinus ponderosa) and its effects on dendroclimatic reconstructions. I hypothesize that trees with mistletoe have lower annual growth rates than uninfected trees, but exhibit higher mean sensitivities and stronger relationships between growth and climate variation. I tested these hypotheses using correlation and regression analyses to compare 100-year crossdated and standardized tree-ring chronologies from 26 infected and 29 uninfected trees. I compared both chronologies to climate variation as measured by changes in total precipitation, minimum, mean, and maximum temperature, and the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI). Results show that trees infected with dwarf mistletoe have higher radial growth rates, exhibit greater sensitivity, and respond more strongly to climate variation. Both infected and uninfected chronologies are significantly correlated with the respective climate variables, but exhibit different patterns. The strongest correlations are between infected trees and PDSI for all months tested; significant correlations between uninfected trees and PDSI are limited to May through December lagged from the previous year. These results suggest mistletoe-infected trees are more sensitive to climatic factors than uninfected trees and may be useful for dendroclimatic analyses.