Preserving Tree-Ring Datasets for Climate and Hazard Research and Understanding Societal Impacts: Carrara Career Samples

Dendrochronological collections during the career of USGS emeritus, Paul Carrara: Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), Black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa), Spruce (Picea), Shore pine (Pinus contorta contorta), Willow (Salix), Bristlecone pine (Pinus aristate), Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii), Aspen (Populus tremuloides), and Limber pine (Pinus flexilis) collections from western North America. The Carrara NGGDPP archive collection is comprised of fifty-two cross-sections obtains for studies of glacial, avalanche, and vegetative histories from Alaska, Montana, and Colorado. Samples were processed following standard dendrochronological methods, including sample surface preparation and annual ring assignment. These tree cross-sections now require preservation. We used high resolution digital photography to capture images of each sample using a system custom designed for digitizing tree rings. Digital images obtained for this archive can then be stored and used by researchers, communities and teachers and students at all education levels.