Fire History Reconstruction from Tree Rings in New Mexico

505 to -42 calendar years before present (BP) of fire history data derived from tree rings at Continental Divide Peak, New Mexico. The dataset is archived by the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) World Data Service for Paleoclimatology. The study was last updated in 1992.

Use Cases

• Analyze fire return intervals and frequency using the calendar year before present (BP) chronology.
• Correlate fire event years with regional climate proxies to study climate-fire relationships.
• Reconstruct historical fire severity and extent patterns from tree-ring scar records.

Strengths

• Temporal coverage spans 547 calendar years, from 505 to -42 BP.
• Data is curated and archived by the authoritative NOAA NCEI World Data Service for Paleoclimatology.

Limitations

• The dataset's last update was in 1992, making it temporally stale for contemporary analysis.
• Geographic coverage is limited to a single site, Continental Divide Peak in New Mexico.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) World Data Service (WDS) for Paleoclimatology.

Collection Method

Tree-ring analysis (dendrochronology) for fire history parameters.

Time Range

505 to -42 calendar years before present (BP).

Freshness

1992-01-01

Geography

Continental Divide Peak, New Mexico, United States of America.