Fire History Reconstruction from Tree Rings in New Mexico

NOAA/WDS Paleoclimatology archives fire history data derived from tree rings at the Rito de los Frijoles site. The time series covers 491 to -38 calendar years before present. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) compiled and published this study in 1988.

Use Cases

• Analyze fire frequency and return intervals using the calendar years before present (BP) timeline.
• Correlate fire history parameters with regional climate proxies from other paleoclimate records.
• Model long-term fire regime changes in New Mexico using the dated fire events.
• Reconstruct past fire seasonality and intensity from tree-ring scar data.

Strengths

• Time series spans 529 calendar years, providing multi-century context.
• Data is curated and archived by the authoritative NOAA NCEI World Data Service.

Limitations

• Data is from a single geographic site (Rito de los Frijoles), limiting regional generalizability.
• The dataset's last update was in 1988, potentially missing modern analytical refinements.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Data derived from tree-ring analysis (dendrochronology) for fire history.

Time Range

491 to -38 calendar years before present (BP).

Freshness

1988-01-01

Geography

Rito de los Frijoles, New Mexico, United States of America.