Dendroclimatology: Using Tree Rings as Proxy Data

Tree rings show evidence of droughts, wet seasons, forest fires, and even earthquakes. Tree rings can not be used alone as evidence for past climate. Students need to understand that no one object holds the key to the climate change debate. It is the correlation of all these key pieces of evidence that builds our understanding of past climate events. Through analyzing our local trees we can develop a climate story for our local environment and connect that story to the story of Earth's climate through time.

Students begin this unit by investigating tree cookies collected from trees around their town. They further their investigation through acollection of tree core samples, and microscopic analysis to create the climactic story for their town. They gather further evidence through articles on dendrochronology and podcasts to build their understanding of the importance of trees as recorders of climate history but also in the climate of Earth. The unit concludes by creating scientific posters of their investigations.

This is an expanding bundle that will be updated with more resources in the future.