Technical Information for OLDLIST and Eastern OLDLIST

By: Neil Pederson
Text of a paper about OLDLIST

Most of this documentation of tree age listed here were derived through tree-ring analysis over the last few decades. Crossdated ages are derived through recognized dendrochronological procedures (e.g., Stokes and Smiley 1968; Swetnam, Thompson, and Sutherland 1985; Schweingruber 1987).

Four types of ages are recognized in the database:

• XD: Crossdated
  For a crossdated age, there should be no question of the age of the portion of the tree sampled, except in any portion of the ring series not confidently crossdated with either other trees at the same site or other sites in the area.
• RC: ring counted
  Ring-counted ages are derived by simple ring counts and may contain errors in age due to missing or false rings, suppressed areas, or other tree-ring anomalies.  "Age" in these first two types will invariably be a minimum age rather than true chronological age owing to the difficulty of sampling a tree exactly at the point of germination.
• EX: extrapolations (usually based on ring measurements)
  Extrapolations are ages derived by regression from age/size relationships (e.g. Stephenson and Demetry 1995) or other mathematical or graphical methods.  Ranges of ages derived by extrapolations are welcome and can be accommodated in the database.
• HI: historic record
  Some tree ages, such as the Lutheran Theological Seminary scarlet oak in Philadelphiaa, PA, are well-documented through the written record. These historical ages are based upon historical reference to the tree.  At present, OLDLIST contains only one historical age, that for Ficus religiosa at a Buddhist Temple in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.  A continuous historical account of four trees planted there in the 3rd century B.C. has been kept (letter to R.J. Hartesveldt from Ambassador of Sri Lanka in the USA, December 15, 1972).  An individual tree may have up to two entries in the database.  For example, a tree may have one entry for the age of a crossdated radial increment core and a second for an extrapolation age to a possible pith or germination date.

Resources

• Life History Information for Trees: North American Silvics Manual
• Eastern Forests: Eastern Native Tree Society
• Databases:
  • International Tree Ring Data Bank
  • Gymnosperm Database
  • Ontario's Oldest Trees
  • Old-Growth Forests Network

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  Castanea dentata The Shelton Family next to a Castanea dentata in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The oldest American Chestnut was a dead stem at least 270 years old (photo © courtesy of Great Smoky Mountains National Park Library and The American Chestnut Foundation)

  Quercus rubra Dr. David Orwig next to the oldest known living Quercus rubra (326 years) on Wachusett Mtn. just outside of Boston, MA (photo ©2006 David Orwig)

  Quercus montana H. Myvonwynn Hopton coring one of the four(!!) 425-427 year old Quercus montana (syn. prinus) in Uttertown, NJ. (photo ©2006 Neil Pederson)

  Tsuga canadensis Tony D'Amato next to the 489 year old Tsuga canadensis in Mohawk Trail State Forest, MA (photo ©2006 Anthony W. D'Amato)