Tree-Ring Society

Tree-Ring Society
Name	Tree-Ring Society
Formation	20th century
Type	Nonprofit
Headquarters	Unspecified
Region served	International
Language	English

Tree-Ring Society

The Tree-Ring Society is a professional association devoted to the study of dendrochronology, dendroecology, and related historical and environmental sciences. It connects researchers, curators, archivists, and educators from institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution, British Museum, University of Cambridge, Harvard University, and University of Arizona to promote methods used in Radiocarbon dating, Paleoclimatology, Archaeology, and Conservation. The Society fosters collaboration among practitioners affiliated with organizations like the National Park Service, United States Geological Survey, Natural History Museum, London, and European Commission research networks.

History

Founded in the later 20th century by practitioners linked to institutions such as the University of California, Berkeley, Yale University, University of Oxford, University of British Columbia, and University of Toronto, the Society emerged amid parallel developments at Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Early figures associated with the field worked at museums like the Field Museum of Natural History, laboratories such as the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and archives like the Library of Congress, while engaging with projects funded by agencies including the National Science Foundation, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, and European Research Council. The Society’s history intersects with landmark efforts at sites such as the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park, Siberian taiga, and Andes Mountains and with personalities connected to the Royal Society, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and National Academy of Sciences.

Mission and Activities

The Society’s mission emphasizes standards for crossdating, chronology building, and calibration of Radiocarbon dating in collaboration with laboratories at ETH Zurich, University of Bern, Columbia University, University of New Mexico, and Duke University. It advocates best practices used by curators at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, conservators at the Getty Conservation Institute, and field teams from organizations like Conservation International and World Wildlife Fund. Activities coordinate with archives such as the International Tree-Ring Data Bank housed at NOAA and link to programs at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, and Australian National University.

Membership and Organization

Membership comprises scientists from universities including Pennsylvania State University, University of Arizona, Oregon State University, University of Alaska Fairbanks, and University of Helsinki, as well as staff from museums like the Royal Ontario Museum and agencies including the US Forest Service and Canadian Forest Service. Governance draws on models used by bodies such as the American Geophysical Union, European Geosciences Union, and International Union of Forest Research Organizations, with committees resembling those at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Regional sections coordinate with entities like the Society of American Archivists, Geological Society of America, and International Union for Quaternary Research.

Research and Publications

The Society supports peer-reviewed work and technical bulletins that interface with journals such as Nature, Science, Quaternary Research, Geophysical Research Letters, Journal of Archaeological Science, Dendrochronologia, Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, and The Holocene. Data and methods align with protocols from the International Atomic Energy Agency, USGS, and standards used by the American Chemical Society and Royal Society of Chemistry for isotopic work. Collaborative projects reference datasets from NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, PANGAEA, and archives curated by institutions like the British Library and National Archives and Records Administration.

Education and Outreach

Educational programs mirror outreach by institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution and Natural History Museum, London, offering workshops akin to those run by Carnegie Institution for Science, Royal Society of London, and National Geographic Society. The Society partners with university extension services at Cornell University, University of Minnesota, and Texas A&M University and with K–12 initiatives connected to the National Science Teaching Association and American Association for the Advancement of Science. Public engagement campaigns reference exhibitions at venues including the Science Museum, London, American Museum of Natural History, and regional science centers.

Conferences and Meetings

Annual and biennial meetings bring together researchers from centers such as the Max Planck Society, CNRS, CSIRO, University of Tokyo, Peking University, Geological Survey of Japan, and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne. Conferences are hosted at universities including University of Innsbruck, University of Oslo, University of Barcelona, and Lund University, and collaborate with symposia organized by the International Union of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Sciences and the European Association of Archaeologists. Proceedings often feature speakers affiliated with the American Philosophical Society, Royal Historical Society, and regional scientific academies.

Awards and Recognition

The Society recognizes achievements in crossdating, chronology development, and applied dendrochronology with awards analogous to honors given by the National Academy of Sciences, Royal Society, American Geophysical Union, European Research Council, and discipline-specific prizes presented by the Society for American Archaeology and International Paleolimnology Association. Recipients often hold appointments at institutions such as Princeton University, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Los Angeles, and Brown University and have been cited by major organizations including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the World Wildlife Fund.

Category:Dendrochronology Category:Scientific societies