Age and Growth Assessment of Trees by Radiocarbon Dating
A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Ecology and Management".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 July 2023) | Viewed by 1220
Special Issue Editors
Interests: radiocarbon dating; growth dynamics; tree structure; dendrochronology
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Age determination and growth assessment of landmark trees may clarify the history of remote areas, for which few written records are available.
Radiocarbon dating is a trustworthy method, yielding accurate age results and can be more reliable than ring counting. This statement applies to trees without a continuous sequence of growth rings in their trunk, or trees with growth rings that are not strictly annual or seasonal, or trees without well-defined rings. Examples include palm trees, for which annual growth rings are absent, mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa), which exhibits very faint rings, and African baobabs (Adansonia digitata L.), which may have indistinct or even missing growth rings. Therefore, age determination by radiocarbon dating represents an asset for investigating tree development and age rates, and for uncovering information about previous and present climates. The results ultimately enable climatic reconstructions.
Because of its high costs, radiocarbon dating of trees has not been extensively used. Nonetheless, several investigations were conducted on different tropical species to determine their age and/or growth rates, or to check and correct their ring counting records. Initially, this research was limited to dating wood samples collected from the remains of dead specimens, which, particularly in tropical regions, decay very fast. The introduction of new methodologies allowed us to extend the investigation to standing, live specimens.
We encourage submissions of manuscripts with significant novelty content; this may refer to new approaches to radiocarbon dating of trees, novel sample preparation or dating methodology, or previously not disclosed interpretations of experimental findings.
Research papers, research notes, opinion letters to the Editor, and review papers are welcome. To avoid overlapping of topics chosen for review papers, prior to writing a review, please request approval from the Editor by sending the intended title and a short (0.5–1.0 pages long) overview of the paper.
Prof. Dr. Daniel A. Lowy
Dr. Bence Mátyás
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- radiocarbon dating
- growth dynamics
- tree structure
- tree architecture
- extinction of tree specimens
- effect of climate change on forestry
- investigation of landmark trees
- dendrochronology
