European larch sapwood: A model for predicting the cambial age and for a more accurate dating

Lisa Shindo (1) , Mélanie Saulnier (2) , Hendrik Raese (3) , Frédéric Guibal (4) , Jean-Louis Edouard , Monika Bolka (5, 6) , Marco Carrer (7) , Christophe Corona (8) , Patrick Gassmann , Michael Grabner (9) , Sébastien Guillet (10) , Kurt Nicolussi (11) , Paola Nola (12) , Olivia Pignatelli (13) , Markus Stoffel (14)

1 Service d’archeologie de Nice
2 GEODE - Géographie de l'environnement
3 Cluster of Excellence ROOTS, Kiel University
4 IMBE - Institut méditerranéen de biodiversité et d'écologie marine et continentale
5 VERA Laboratory, Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna, Währinger Straße 17, 1090 Vienna
6 Institute of Wood Technology and Renewable Materials, University of Natural Resources and Life Science
7 Unipd - Università degli Studi di Padova = University of Padua
8 GEOLAB - Laboratoire de Géographie Physique et Environnementale
9 University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences
10 University of Geneva - Climate Change Impacts and Risks in the Anthropocene (C-CIA), Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
11 Universität Innsbruck [Innsbruck]
12 Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (DSTA), University of Pavia
13 Laboratorio Dendrodata, via Pigna 14, 37121 Verona
14 Department of Earth Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva

European larch (Larix decidua Mill.) holds significant importance as a forest tree species throughout the Alps and in certain regions of central Europe. Its extensive use as construction timber has made it a subject of substantial interest in dendroarchaeological studies aimed at understanding the long-term interactions between human societies and forests. Precise dating of felling phases, accurate estimation of the age of harvested wood, and information on the geographical origin of wood play a crucial role when it comes to characterize these interactions. In this study, we compiled a large dataset of L. decidua samples from across the European Alps to provide a robust statistical model that predicts the cambial age of L. decidua trees based on the number of heartwood rings. By extension, this model can be used to estimate the number of sapwood rings so as to approximate the felling date and to more precise date archaeological larch timber. The model requires almost complete heartwood sequences (<5 missing rings) to achieve accurate estimations. Our results also evidence that the ratio between the number of sapwood and heartwood rings varies across the Alps. At the same time, the indicator developed in this work is not suitable for a determination of wood origin, raising doubts about the effectiveness of attempts aimed at dendroprovenancing L. decidua based on sapwood.

Mots clés: Larix decidua; European Alps; Sapwood; Felling date; Precise dating

Domaines: Sciences de l'environnement

Lisa Shindo, Mélanie Saulnier, Hendrik Raese, Frédéric Guibal, Jean-Louis Edouard, et al.. European larch sapwood: A model for predicting the cambial age and for a more accurate dating. Dendrochronologia, 2024, 83, pp.1-11. ⟨10.1016/j.dendro.2023.126150⟩. ⟨hal-04504206⟩