Ancient Bald Cypress Forests Black River, North Carolina David W. Stahle, University of Arkansas Taxodium distichum Black River Dendrochronology Tree-Ring Dating = the most accurate and precise dating method in geochronology Datum in time, crossdating, massive replication, direct calibration & verification, integrating pluviometers (growing season moisture balance) The Principle of Site Selection Standard ‘dendroclimatic’ theory: All tree species and forest sites are not equally valuable for dendrochronology, so we practice ‘site selection’ to maximize the environmental signal of interest (e.g., drought, temperature, fire, frost, herbivory, etc.) Complacent vs. sensitive Size is not necessarily equal to age Complacent Rings Sensitive Rings Longevity under adversity Commercial vs. non-commercial (second growth vs. old growth) Stokes & Smiley 1968 Frequently flooded bald cypress?? AE Douglass Swedish increment borer Ancient Forest Science North American Tree-Ring Chronologies Eastern species Western species red = University of Arkansas Black River, North Carolina Main Areas of Cypress Logging Presettlement baldcypress forests = 24-42 million acres, Today <10,000 acres (<0.04%). Cypress Swamp National Monument, Louisiana, 1939. 128 Cypress + Locomotive in Georgia From: Mattoon 1915 Oldest living trees on earth, dated with dendrochronology: 1. Great Basin bristlecone pine Pinus longaeva California 5,066* 2. Alerce Fitzroya cupressoides Chile 3,622 3. Giant sequoia Sequoiadendron giganteum California 3,266 4. Sierra juniper Juniperus occidentalis California 2,675 5. Rocky Mtn. bristlecone pine Pinus aristata Colorado 2,435 6. Coast redwood Sequoia sempervirens California 2,200 7. Foxtail pine Pinus balfouriana California 2,110 8. Rocky Mountain juniper Juniperus scopulorum New Mexico 1,889 9. Limber pine Pinus flexilis Utah 1,697 10. Bald cypress Taxodium distichum North Carolina 1,653+ Betty Hole Cove Ancient bald cypress Black River, North Carolina From: Peter Brown, OLDLIST Bald Cypress has the Classic Tree-Growth Response to Moisture Stress Typical of upland trees, true also for wet-site Taxodium (universally!) - Growing Season - Rio Lagartero, Guatemala 1.5 Baldcypress growth is directly correlated with rainfall, in spite of flooded 1.0 habitat. Why? 0.5 Dissolved oxygen gradient, Tree Growth Index Tree straFficaFon of root system, 0.0 flux of water & nutrients…. Precipitation Southeast precipitaFon and cypress growth Four Holes Swamp, SC The site selecFon principle is species dependent! Black River North Carolina Millennium+ baldcypress trees 10th oldest on earth. Outstanding Resource Water Re-colonized by threatened kites and wood storks. Ring width chronology: AD 365 – 2010 One of the longest in the world. Strong precip signal Ancient Bald Cypress Consortium Dated Cypress Trees Black River Black River, North Carolina Black River, North Carolina Black River, North Carolina Squires Tract Black River, North Carolina J. Arndt, 2016 BLK 69 = Oldest documented Taxodium Minimum age = 1,653 years old, likely 1,700+ Black River, North Carolina (1986) Ancient Bald Cypress Consortium Jordan Burns, 2015 (University of Arkansas) Betty Hole Cove Black River Certainly one of North Carolina’s most Natural & Scenic Rivers, with some of the oldest living trees on Earth! .