Center for Tree-Ring Science

Center for Tree-Ring Science Since 1968, tree-ring research has been conducted at the University of Missouri.

Within the last five years, post oak decline has been rapidly increasing across Missouri. A hardy species that is highly...
05/25/2026

Within the last five years, post oak decline has been rapidly increasing across Missouri. A hardy species that is highly fire and drought tolerant, forest managers considered this tree very resistant, but now is unfortunately suffering dieback and epicormic sprouting. CTRS undergraduate technician, Max Cunningham, assisted in studying post oak growth response by measuring vessel sizes and numbers across recent years of decline. This research will be an ongoing project to quickly identify problems and solutions for our forests.

A large ongoing CTRS project is studying the effects of reburns on ponderosa pine in the Sierra Nevadas of California. A...
05/20/2026

A large ongoing CTRS project is studying the effects of reburns on ponderosa pine in the Sierra Nevadas of California. After multiple fires ranging in burn severity, preliminary results show accelerated growth, increased resin response, and altered chemical compounds that could potentially spark interest from timber to pharmaceutical industries. Recently, CTRS met with collaborators at the U.S. Forest Service - Research and Development Forest Products Laboratory in Wisconsin to continue discussions of these exciting developments in analysis of “Firedwood” and reburns.

From the CTRS archives: A behind the scenes look at field collection: from stump to polished cross-section! This standin...
05/05/2026

From the CTRS archives: A behind the scenes look at field collection: from stump to polished cross-section! This standing snag showed the classic “cat face” of a fire scar and was a great candidate for fire ecology research. Red pines are a fire dependent species and it wasn’t until meticulous sanding and ring dating that all the fire scars and age of this piece was revealed, over 300 years old! The pith date is 1533 and other dates listed on the cross section refer to fire scar years. This pine helped reconstruct historical fire frequency for the area in northern Minnesota, in relation to climate, human land use changes, and vegetation. You can read more about it here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378112721004011?via%3Dihub

04/29/2026

Acoustic illustration can bring science to mind, synapses, and perception like no other human sense. This audio is the growth pattern of buried oak trees from northern Missouri that grew from 992 to 2010 and that are excellent recorders of Missouri’s drought patterns.

From the CTRS archives: This is a bur oak cross section that grew along a creek in northern Missouri 3950 years ago. It ...
04/21/2026

From the CTRS archives: This is a bur oak cross section that grew along a creek in northern Missouri 3950 years ago. It has 190 tree rings which provide a valuable record of yearly climate information from the time when it was growing. Environmental conditions such as historical droughts and late spring frosts are preserved in these rings. Oak wood is typically brown, but turns black over thousands of years when buried in waterlogged conditions with little oxygen.

Have you ever seen wood that carousels up a tree? There is a lot of speculation on why trees form a spiral grain from pr...
04/14/2026

Have you ever seen wood that carousels up a tree? There is a lot of speculation on why trees form a spiral grain from prevailing winds, to nutrient uptake, the Coriolis effect, or old age. It is often seen on snags that have lost their bark, and across many tree species. Pictured is a red pine in New York and the top and side view of a Missouri cedar, both displaying spiraling grain.

Recent fieldwork in Texas Hill Country! Working with Wildland Fire Management Specialist, Mike Lloyd, from the Texas Par...
04/08/2026

Recent fieldwork in Texas Hill Country! Working with Wildland Fire Management Specialist, Mike Lloyd, from the Texas Parks and Wildlife, CTRS conducted data collection for tree species, fire history, and cedar history of the Post Oak Ridge State Park. Soon to be opened to the public, this unique forest ecosystem spans over 3,000 acres and dotting the landscape are remnants of 100+ year old axed cedar stumps from the elusive laborers of the time known as the cedar choppers. We are grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the careful planning and research of this magnificent site!

04/01/2026

One ongoing CTRS project investigates fire effects on yellow pines in the Sierra Nevada. Fire suppression has occurred in this forest since the 1870’s which has dramatically changed the forest landscape as well as increased fuel for wildfire events. CTRS post-doctoral fellow Laura Marshall, and others, including our collaborators at the U.S. Forest Service - Research and Development and College of Forest Resources, Mississippi State University Department of Sustainable Bioproducts, have been collecting data in these forests for the past 3 years. As this project wraps up, we will have exciting new perspectives on fire and wood quality in postfire landscapes!

From the CTRS archives: This cross-section is from a white oak tree that was cut in 1871 and then used to construct an e...
03/23/2026

From the CTRS archives: This cross-section is from a white oak tree that was cut in 1871 and then used to construct an early barn in southern Boone County, Missouri. This date was determined by matching the pattern in old living trees growing in nearby forests. This method of tree-ring dating makes it possible to date many types of historical wood objects and artifacts, such as musical instruments, tools and implements, dugout canoes, and art panels.

Located in the lobby of Mizzou School of Natural Resources, this 300-year-old bur oak grew in the beautiful marshes of B...
03/16/2026

Located in the lobby of Mizzou School of Natural Resources, this 300-year-old bur oak grew in the beautiful marshes of Big Oak State Park, "80 acres of giants and botanical oddities... a small reminder of the thousands of acres of magnificent timber that once clothed the flat lands of the bootheel.” This section was cut from 50 feet up the tree, as its dbh, or diameter at breast height, was 21 feet around! Not hard to imagine that when felled, this state champion tree, "actually lifted the feet of spectators from the ground.” Thanks to our undergrad technicians, Max and Adrianna, for standing in for scale next to this magnificent piece, which is still studied to this day for flood history!

Although our research focuses heavily on fire scars, tree injuries don't just come from fire. Bees, beetles, birds, deer...
03/10/2026

Although our research focuses heavily on fire scars, tree injuries don't just come from fire. Bees, beetles, birds, deer, lightning, frosts, and tornadoes also some of nature's culprits of tree damage. We can still date these injuries. Check out the cedars that hold carpenter bee tunnels, a century record of sapsucker visits, and years of white-tailed deer buck rubs!

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