Dendrochronology Across Borders: Developing a Network of Quercus Garryana Tree-Ring Chronologies for the Pacific Northwest

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DENDROCHRONOLOGY ACROSS BORDERS: DEVELOPING A NETWORK OF QUERCUS GARRYANA TREE-RING CHRONOLOGIES FOR THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

David A. Jordan1, Gabriel I. Yospin2, Bart R. Johnson3, and Doug McCutchen4 1 Department of Geography and Environment, Trinity Western University, Langley, BC 2 Instute on Ecosystems, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 3 Department of Landscape Architecture, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 4 San Juan County Land Bank, Friday Harbour, WA

Cascadia Prairie Oak Partnership 2015 Conference, October 26-29, 2015, Tacoma, Washington CONSERVATION WITHOUT BORDERS: Working Across Boundaries to Restore Prairie and Oak Communies Acknowledgements

Co-authors: Dr. Bart Johnson, University of Oregon, Dr. Gabe Yospin, University of Oregon/ Montana State Univ

Co-author: Doug McCutchen, Ruthie Dougherty, Steve Ulvi

Jane Kers, U.S. Forest Service, Staﬀ at Finley Nature Refuge

City of Victoria Parks staﬀ: Thomas Munson, Dan Marzoco and Craig Pelton

Research funding provided by Naonal Science Foundaon Outline

1. Background • The problem, why does it maer, goals and objecves

2. Methods • Dendrochronology (Tree-ring science) • Field and Laboratory • Study Areas

3. Results and Discussion

4. Summary Background:The fate of oak habitat?

44% Agriculture 30% Forest 14% Other natural vegetaon 8% Built features 4% Unknown

2-10% remains, 90-95% on private land Hulse, Gregory and Baker. 2002. Willamee River Basin planning atlas Background: Why does it maer? Willamee Valley oak savanna & woodland:

• >95 nave vertebrate species associated w/ Willamee Valley grasslands (Veseley and Rosenberg 2010) • >714 nave plant species of which more than 391 are found principally or exclusively in grassland habitats (Ed Alverson, TNC, unpublished data). • >1100 species of arthropods in upland prairies (Wilson et al. 1998), including 350-400 species of nave bees in oak savannas, many specialized to one plant species or genus. Today 80% are likely exrpated or extremely rare (Andy Moldenke, OSU, unpublished data). • Six federally-listed plant and insect species (USFWS 2010). • High cultural value and signiﬁcance – recreaonal, aesthec, spiritual Background: Goals and Objecves

Goal: Connue building a knowledge base for oak habitat conservaon and restoraon planning

• Response of oak to present and past disturbance, both natural and anthropogenic, e.g. fire history, growth suppression and release • GIS mapping of oak habitats and trajectories of change, e.g. historic stand reconstrucon (pre-selement) Current Objecve: • Create a network of site-specific Garry oak tree- ring chronologies for the Pacific Northwest Methods

Dendrochronology dendron = tree chronos = me logos = word = the science of

Principle of crossdang In the Field

5.15 mm increment cores

Opportunisc sampling of cross-secons from dead trees In the Lab 2. 1.

1 mm 3. Study sites CNERA, Saltspring Island, BC; 48.7N, 123.4W 222 m Cady Mtn, San Juan Island, WA; 48.5N, 123.1W 250 m Beacon Hill, Victoria, BC; 48.4N, 123.3W 9 m

Chip Ross, Corvallis, OR; Finely Nature Reserve, OR; 44.6N, 123.3W 263 m 44.4N, 123.3W 120 m

Mt. Pisgah, Eugene, OR; 44.0N, 122.9W 270 m Jim’s Creek, Oakridge, OR; 43.5N, 122.4W 756 m Results and Discussion

Episodic growth release from overtopping by Douglas-ﬁr Results and Discussion

Extending chronologies with non-living samples 1707 1715 1729 1709 1731 1744 1747 1788 1738

1805 1781 1809 1788 1796

Beacon Hill ﬁre history 1707, 1709, 1715, 1729, 1731, 1738, 1822 1744, 1747, 1781, 1788, 1796, 1805, 1846 1809, 1822, 1846 Average = 9.2 yrs Results and Discussion

Chip Ross Marker rings: 1680, 1705-06, 1722, (CR) 1741, 1762, 1864, 1934, 1938

Finley NR Marker rings: 1705-06, 1712, 1799-1800, (FNR) 1804, 1828, 1881, 1894, 1918, 1978

Jim’s Creek Marker rings: 1641, 1658, 1674, 1705-06, (JC) 1741, 1800, 1849, 1909, 1945, 1977-78

Mt. Pisgah Marker rings: 1706, 1712, 1739-40-41, (MP) 1763, 1777, 1829-30, 1847, 1896, 1918 Age structure (JC) Age Structure (CR) 12 12 10 10 8 8 6 6

4 Frequency 4 2 2 0 0

Year (AD) Year (AD)

Age structure (FNR) Age structure (MP) 12 12

10 10

8 8

6 6

4 Frequency 4

2 2

0 0

Year (AD) Year (AD) Results and Discussion

Standardized ring-width index and sample depth for FNR 2.5 30

25 2 sample depth 20 1.5 growth index 15 1 10

0.5 5 Sample depth (n) Ring-width index

0 0

Year (AD)

Stand-wide growth suppression due to overtopping by Douglas-ﬁr Results and Discussion

Historical landscape level change at Finley Nature Reserve – oak prairie/savanna – douglas-ﬁr woodland Results and Discussion

Cady Mountain Preserve, San Juan Island, WA

Marker rings: observed 560 km south at Jim’s Creek!

1741 1736 1800 1841 1871 Results and Discussion

World Record: 465 years at coring height!

3.5 3 Sample ID: CML14809 2.5

1.5

Ring width (mm) 1

0.5

Year (AD) Results and Discussion

Oldest living Quercus garryana tree in the world!?

Species Age

Quercus robur 930 RC

Quercus petraea 866 RC

Quercus garryana 465 XD, RC

Quercus alba 407 XD

Quercus gambelii 406 XD

Quercus stellata 373 XD

Quercus rubra 326 XD

hp://www.rmtrr.org/oldlist.htm Summary

• Possible to crossdate Garry oak making it a valuable source of dendroecological data

• Signiﬁcant radial growth response (suppression/release)

• Possible to create crossdated ﬁre scar chronologies

• Strong common radial-growth signal (some region-wide marker rings)

• Idenfy and mapping of legacy oak habitats Quesons?

[email protected]

Study Areas

Portland

Chip Ross Park

Salem Finley Nature Refuge (FNR) Corvallis

Jim’s Creek Eugene

Mount Pisgah