INTO THE WOODS: AN EXAMINATION OF THE UTILITY OF DENDROCHRONOLOGY IN THE SOUTHERN LAKE ERIE REGION OF PENNSYLVANIA

The southern region of Lake Erie in Erie, Pennsylvania is a unique geomorphological and ecological environment. The area consists of three sections. A recurved sand spit called Presque Isle divides the coastline into the eastern and western sections. The ongoing evolution and sustainable management of the peninsula and the surrounding coastal area necessitates a better understanding of the geomorphological processes, which facilitated the formation, and growth of this recurved sand spit. New methods of study are needed to effectively reach this level of insight. This research begins an examination into the utility of dendrochronology in the region by investigating each of these sections in turn and bringing them together to determine if patterns exist amongst the data that can further elucidate where and how the overall geologic systems operate in the region. A mixture of tree cores were sampled over the course of surveying each of the three areas. In the western region of Erie, six samples were collected from Erie Bluffs State Park and ranged in age from 28-44 yrs. old. Another 18 samples were collected from throughout the peninsula at Presque Isle. These trees varied in age from 17-123 yrs. old. Finally, five samples were acquired from trees in Scott Park along the coastline east of Presque Isle State Park that dated between 91-188 years old. Tree cores revealed distinct regions of both active and inactive coastal erosion. The existence of Presque Isle clearly serves as a major inhibitor to coastal erosion in the Eastern section. The utility of dendrochronological techniques in this study is highly effective and provides a foundation on which future research is possible. Further study utilizing this data may reveal valuable historical climatic information that could be useful in understanding the coastal areas response to climatic changes. Additionally, further utilization of dendrochronology may be useful in studying the Gull Point region at Presque Isle due to its’ natural growth in the recent decades. Thus, dendrochronology presents great potential for understanding coastal changes in the southern Lake Erie region in both the past and present.