Washington State Fire History Reconstruction from Tree Rings

Tree-ring data from Washington State reconstructs fire events over a 625-year period from 580 to -45 calendar years before present. The NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information archives this fire history study for paleoclimatology research. The dataset was last updated in 1995.

Use Cases

• Analyze fire frequency and return intervals using the calendar years before present (BP) chronology.
• Correlate fire history parameters with regional climate proxies to study past climate-fire relationships.
• Reconstruct historical forest disturbance regimes from the tree-ring fire scar data.
• Validate and calibrate regional fire history models using the 625-year temporal coverage.

Strengths

• Covers a 625-year time period (580 to -45 BP) for long-term trend analysis.
• Data is archived and curated by the authoritative NOAA World Data Service for Paleoclimatology.

Limitations

• Data recency is low, with a last update in 1995, limiting contemporary analysis.
• Geographic scope is limited to a single demonstration project site in Washington State.
• Specific parameters, sample sizes, and measurement methodologies are not detailed in the provided description.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

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

Time Range

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

Freshness

1995-01-01

Geography

Teanaway Demonstration Project, Washington, United States.