Dendrochronological Potential of Salix Alaxensis from the Kuujjua River Area, Western Canadian Arctic

• Main Authors: Zalatan, R., Gajewski, K.
• Other Authors: Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., V6T 1Z2 Canada, Laboratory for Paleoclimatology and Climatology, Department of Geography, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5 Canada
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Tree-Ring Society 2006
• Subjects: Dendrochronology; Tree Rings; Victoria Island; Northwest Territories; Middle Arctic Vegetation; Canadian Arctic; Salix Alaxensis; Arctic; Canada; victoria island
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10150/262624

This study presents the first annually-resolved chronology using Salix alaxensis (Anderss.) Cov from Victoria Island, Northwest Territories, Canada, an area well north of treeline. Forty-one samples were collected and examined for subsequent analysis. However, crossdating was difficult because of locally absent or missing rings and the narrowness of the rings, and ultimately thirteen stems were crossdated and used to evaluate their dendroclimatological potential. The chronology spans 74 years (1927-2000) and could potentially be extended further using subfossil wood. Precipitation data from December of the previous year to March of the current year were the most consistently and highly correlated with ring width. This suggests that the recharge of the soil moisture by early summer snowmelt is a key factor limiting growth of these shrubs. This item is part of the Tree-Ring Research (formerly Tree-Ring Bulletin) archive. It was digitized from a physical copy provided by the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research at The University of Arizona. For more information about this peer-reviewed scholarly journal, please email the Editor of Tree-Ring Research at [e-mail].