Fire History Reconstruction from Black Hills Tree Rings

Tree-ring data from the Black Hills Experimental Forest reconstructs fire events over a period of 545 years, from 500 to -45 calendar years before present. The dataset is archived by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information under its Paleoclimatology World Data Service. It was last updated in 1995.

Use Cases

• Analyze fire frequency and timing using tree-ring fire scar records.
• Correlate fire event years with inferred climatic conditions from the same tree-ring series.
• Model fire return intervals for the Black Hills forest ecosystem over a 545-year period.
• Study the impact of historical fire events on forest structure and composition.

Strengths

• Provides a 545-year temporal coverage of fire history.
• Data is curated and archived by NOAA's authoritative National Centers for Environmental Information.

Limitations

• Data collection ended in 1995, making the record potentially stale for contemporary analysis.
• The geographic scope is limited to a single experimental forest in South Dakota.
• Specific column names, sample data, and row counts are unavailable for assessment.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Tree-ring analysis (dendrochronology) for fire scar detection.

Time Range

500 to -45 calendar years before present (BP).

Freshness

1995-01-01

Geography

Black Hills Experimental Forest, South Dakota, United States.