CHRONOLOGY DEVELOPMENT AND CLIMATE RESPONSE OF PINUS STROBUS, CROOKED LAKE, ADIRONDACKS, NY: APRIL SHOWERS BRING NARROW RINGS?

The breakup of seasonal snow accumulations and rainfall during April are the stand out climatic factors negatively affecting radial growth in Pinus strobus around Crooked Lake, NY. This northwestern Adirondack site begins to fill a regional, climatological data gap. As a start to filling this gap, a master chronology was developed and distinct relationships between weather data and the tree-ring record were determined. 59 radial borings were collected from 30 white pine trees and visually crossdated using skeleton plots. Ring widths were measured using MeasureJ2X and cores were statistically crossdated with COFECHA and detrended using ARSTAN resulting in a standard chronology (1916-2012). Monthly meterological data were from the Wanakena Station and are stored on the Northeast Regional Climate Center’s CLIMOD II website. Using the standard chronology, correlation coefficients were determined to examine relationships between weather and tree-ring width. Strong, positive correlations at the 95% confidence level (wider rings) were found with July and summer precipitation for the growth year and at 90% for October and November temperature in the year previous to growth. Most interesting, however, is the strong negative correlation at the 90% confidence level (narrower rings) for precipitation and snowfall in April for the year previous to growth and the growth year. The coincidence of rainfall and snow breakup during April provides a “double” wetness and an adverse effect on the growth of these white pines. This negative growth is likely due to waterlogged soil and resulting anoxic suppression of early-season root growth. Generally, Pinus strobus trees living around Crooked Lake grow wider rings during wetter summers and warmer October-November times and grow narrower rings during “double” wet Aprils. This new comprehensive tree-ring series provides a longer term climate context for this region of the Adirondacks dating back to 1916 and is a start to filling the region’s data void.