BOREAS TE-07 Dendrology Data Summary The BOREAS TE-07 team collected data sets in support of its efforts to characterize and interpret information on the sapflow and dendrology of boreal vegetation. This data set contains dendrology measurements, consisting of tree ring width and density taken at several points within each ring. Measurements were taken near the TE towers at the OJP and OBS sites in NSA. In the SSA, measurements were taken near the TE towers at the MIX, OBS, and OJP sites; at the AIM-13 and BMH-9 sites; and near the TF-YJP site. Note that the TE-07 dendrology data available from the ORNL DAAC are a summary and an inventory of the full Canadian Forest Service (CFS) data set. Please see Section 1.5 of the complete data set reference document for information on obtaining the CFS data set. Table of Contents 1 Data Set Overview 2 Investigator(s) 3 Theory of Measurements 4 Equipment 5 Data Acquisition Methods 6 Observations 7 Data Description 8 Data Organization 9 Data Manipulations 10 Errors 11 Notes 12 Application of the Data Set 13 Future Modifications and Plans 14 Software 15 Data Access 16 Output Products and Availability 17 References 18 Glossary of Terms 19 List of Acronyms 20 Document Information 1. Data Set Overview 1.1 Data Set Identification BOREAS TE-07 Dendrology Data 1.2 Data Set Introduction Field studies of X-ray densitometry analysis of samples were taken by the Terrestrial Ecology team number 7 (TE-07) as part of the BOReal Ecosystem- Atmosphere Study (BOREAS) during the summer of 1994. 1.3 Objective/Purpose The objective of this research was to perform densitometry analysis as part of the BOREAS allometry program, which was aimed at developing allometric equations for tree volume increment for use in forest growth models. 1.4 Summary of Parameters Tree Summary Data on the BOREAS CD-ROM: Each record includes the tree id, plot id, species, tree diameter taken at breast height, height from the ground to the base of the crown, tree height, basic density factor, and image condition. TIFF Images on the CFS CD-ROM: Each image file is a series of X-ray images of a particular tree. Report Files on the CFS CD-ROM: Density and Width Summary includes year of the ring, fresh ring width, relative latewood width, maximum ring density, minimum ring density, average ring density. Raw Profile includes density of each pixel and the year of the ring. 1.5 Discussion Samples were collected from tower sites used for gas flux experiments. In the Northern Study Area (NSA), the TE towers at the Old Jack Pine (OJP) and Old Black Spruce (OBS) sites were visited. In the Southern Study Area (SSA), samples were collected from the TE tower at Mixed wood (MIX), Aspen Immature Medium (AIM)-13, Tower Flux (TF) Young Jack Pine (YJP), and the TE towers at black spruce mature high (BMH)-9 and at OJP. Detailed information about each site can be found in Halliwell and Apps (1997a,b,c). Dendrology data were collected from 75 trees. The trees ranged from 1.85 m to 18.3 m in height and included 29 jack pine (Pinus banksiana), 33 black spruce (Picea mariana), 8 white spruce (Picea glauca), and 10 trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides). The samples used here are replicates of samples used by Gower et al. (1997) for the development of volume allometric equations. Not all samples used by Gower have been included, due to the magnitude of the project; some samples were lost in transit, destroyed in processing, or received with illegible or incorrect labels. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the data included in this data set. The images and report files are stored on the Compact Disk-Read Only Memory (CD- ROM) provided free of charge by the Canadian Forest Service (CFS) at this address: Natural Resources Canada Canadian Forest Service Northern Forest Centre 5320 - 122 Street Edmonton, Alberta T6H 3S5 1.6 Related Data Sets BOREAS TE-06 Allometry Data BOREAS TE-06 Biomass and Foilage Area Data 2. Investigator(s) 2.1 Investigator(s) Name and Title T.M.L. Varem-Sanders I.D. Campbell 2.2 Title of Investigation Climate Change Effects on Net Primary Productivity of Productivity of Aspen and Jack Pine at the Southern Limit of the Boreal Forest 2.3 Contact Information Contact 1: T.M.L. Varem-Sanders Canadian Forest Service Northern Forestry Centre Edmonton, Alberta Canada tvarem@nofc.forestry.ca Contact 2: I.D. Campbell Canadian Forest Service Northern Forestry Centre Edmonton, Alberta Canada icampbel@nrcan.gc.ca Contact 3: Andrea Papagno Raytheon ITSS NASA GSFC Greenbelt, MD (301) 286-3134 (301) 286-0239 (fax) Andrea.Papagno@gsfc.nasa.gov 3. Theory of Measurements X-ray densitometry enables the simultaneous measurement of ring width and density at several points within each ring. Ring width data are required to calculate volume increment, while wood density is a critical variable affecting wood quality (Jozsa and Middleton, 1994). Biomass increment calculations also require both ring width and density data. Tree ring widths have often been used to determine the sensitivity of tree growth to climate and other environmental factors (Fritts, 1976). Similarly, tree density has been shown to be highly sensitive to climate and other factors, and in closed boreal forest stands, where ring width is often only weakly sensitive to climate, ring density has been shown to be much more strongly linked to climate (Jozsa et al., 1984). 4. Equipment 4.1 Sensor/Instrument Description 4.1.1 Collection Environment TE and TF towers were used to access the trees. Disks were cut from selected trees at the base of the tree, at breast height, at the base of the live crown, and at regular 2-m intervals along the entire stem. 4.1.2 Source/Platform An optical gray-scale desktop scanner was used under laboratory conditions. 4.1.3 Source/Platform Mission Objectives None given. 4.1.4 Key Variables Tree Summary Data on the BOREAS CD-ROM: The overall summary data includes the tree id, plot id, species, tree diameter taken at breast height, height from the ground to the base of the crown, tree height, basic density factor, and image condition. TIFF Images on the CFS CD-ROM: Each image file is a series of X-ray images of a particular tree. Report Files on the CFS CD-ROM: Density and Width Summary includes year of the ring, fresh ring width, relative latewood width, maximum ring density, minimum ring density, average ring density. Raw Profile includes density of each pixel and the year of the ring. 4.1.5 Principles of Operation The images were photographically enlarged by a factor of 2x, and the prints were scanned using a 600-dots per inch (dpi) (optical) gray-scale desktop scanner. After further analysis (explained in Section 5), the images provided were rescanned from the original negatives using a 2000-dpi (optical) desktop scanner. 4.1.6 Sensor/Instrument Measurement Geometry None given. 4.1.7 Manufacturer of Sensor/Instrument None given. 4.2 Calibration 4.2.1 Specifications The calibration wedge specifications are: Thickness at the thick end: 0.3797 cm Thickness at the thin end (inside the wire): 0.0290 cm Length (to the inside of the wire): 5.194 cm Calibration constant: 0.7438 g/cm3 Corrected calibration constant: 0.7069 g/cm3 4.2.1.1 Tolerance None given. 4.2.2 Frequency of Calibration None given. 4.2.3 Other Calibration Information Not applicable. 5. Data Acquisition Methods Sampling was conducted during the summer of 1994. Disks were cut from selected trees at selected sites, at the base of the tree, at breast height, at the base of the live crown, and at regular 2-m intervals along the entire stem. These disks were measured in the field to obtain a fresh (or green) diameter. On arrival in Edmonton, they were air-dried and remeasured. The disks were then reduced to sticks about 5 cm wide and 3 cm thick, passing through the pith and thus including two complete radii at 180° from each other. The sticks were then further reduced to thin slivers about 6 mm wide and 1.5 mm thick. One of the two slivers from each disk included the pith; the other did not. In some cases, particularly for small-diameter disks or disks that had cracked extensively on drying, only one sliver was obtained. The thickness of each sliver was measured at several points using calipers. These slivers were then wrapped in cloth and subjected to extraction of volatiles by repeated soaking in water and in a mixture of cyclohexane and ethanol. After removal from the extraction, the slivers were pressed into a slight curve, to accommodate the parallax in the X-ray chamber. The slivers were arranged in sets in the X-ray chamber; each set was accompanied by the same calibrated precision-cut plastic wedge. This wedge is of sufficient thickness at one end to intercept more X-rays than the densest 2-mm-thick wood samples, and tapers to a nearly perfect knife-edge. A thin wire is attached to the thin end to mark it on the X-ray images. See Section 4.2.1 for the specifications for this wedge. This method enables researchers to calculate density from the gray-value of the X-ray image at any point yielding the same gray-value as the point in the wood for which the density is desired. The thickness of the wedge at this point is determined by interpolation from the position of this point between the thick end of the wedge and the inside of the wire. If the wood is assumed to be completely dry, the thickness of the wedge at this point is multiplied by the calibration constant to obtain the mass of the wood per cm2 at that point. This number is then divided by the thickness of the wood sample: wedge thickness * calibration constant Wood density = -------------------------------------- (1) wood thickness In practice, most wood samples are believed to have been processed with about 6% moisture content; thus, a calibration constant corrected for humidity should be used. The corrected calibration constant used for 6% wood moisture content was 0.7069 g/cm3. The images were photographically enlarged by a factor of 2x, and the prints were scanned using a 600-dpi (optical) gray-scale desktop scanner. DendroScan, the software written for the analysis of X-ray images of tree rings (Varem-Sanders and Campbell, 1996), was used to analyze the resulting digital files. Each sliver was then cross-dated, first with the other sliver from the same disk, with other samples from the same tree, then with other samples from the same site, and ultimately with samples from other sites, to ensure the proper identification of ring boundaries. From the approximately 1,000 disks received at the Northern Forest Centre, an estimated 1,500 slivers were processed, representing 938 disks from 75 trees. The images provided on the CFS CDROM were rescanned from the original negatives using a 2000-dpi (optical) desktop scanner. Due to space constraints, not all were scanned at 2000 dpi; samples with wide rings were often scanned at a lower resolution. The images are stored on the CD-ROM provided free of charge by CFS at this address: Natural Resources Canada Canadian Forest Service Northern Forest Centre 5320 - 122 Street Edmonton, Alberta T6H 3S5 6. Observations 6.1 Data Notes None given. 6.2 Field Notes None given. 7. Data Description 7.1 Spatial Characteristics None given. 7.1.1 Spatial Coverage The measurement sites and associated North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83) coordinates are: MIX TE tower site, site id D9I1M, Lat/Long: 53.7254 N, 105.20643 W, Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) Zone: 13, N: 5952989.7, E: 486379.7. OBS TE tower site, site id G8I4T, Lat/Long: 53.98717 N, 105.11779 W, UTM Zone: 13, N: 5982100.5, E: 492276.5. OJP TE tower site, site id G2L3T, Lat/Long: 53.91634 N, 104.69203 W, UTM Zone: 13, N: 5974257.5, E: 520227.7. AIM-13 site, site id B9B7A, Lat/Long: 53.59098 N, 106.18693 W, UTM Zone: 13, N: 5938447.2, E: 421469.8. BMH-9 site, site id G6K8S, Lat/Long: 53.94446 N, 104.759 W, UTM Zone: 13, N: 5977146.9, E: 515847.9. YJP TF tower site, site id F8L6T, Lat/Long: 53.87581 N, 104.64529 W, UTM Zone: 13, N: 5969762.5, E: 523320.2. OJP TE tower site, site id T7Q8T, Lat/Long: 55.92842 N, 98.62396 W, UTM Zone 14, N:6198176.3, E:523496.2. OBS TE tower site, site id T3R8T, Lat/Long: 55.88007 N, 98.48139 W, UTM Zone 14, N:6192853.4, E:532444.5. 7.1.2 Spatial Coverage Map Not available. 7.1.3 Spatial Resolution Not applicable. 7.1.4 Projection Not applicable. 7.1.5 Grid Description Not applicable. 7.2 Temporal Characteristics 7.2.1 Temporal Coverage These data include information about all of the tree rings present in the samples (collected during the summer of 1994). This encompasses all of the years that the trees lived until 1994. 7.2.2 Temporal Coverage Map None given. 7.2.3 Temporal Resolution Yearly data from tree ring analyses. 7.3 Data Characteristics Data characteristics are defined in the companion data definition file (te07dend.def). 7.4 Sample Data Record Sample data format shown in the companion data definition file (te07dend.def). 8. Data Organization 8.1 Data Granularity The dendrology data inventory information is in one file. The images and report files stored on the CFS CD-ROM can be obtained free of charge at this address: Natural Resources Canada Canadian Forest Service Northern Forest Centre 5320 - 122 Street Edmonton, Alberta T6H 3S5 8.2 Data Format(s) TIFF Images: The CFS CD-ROM contains compressed TIFF images of tree ring scans which can be decompressed using PKUNZIP, WINZIP, or other ZIP software. This software is not provided on the CD-ROM, but it can be obtained as shareware from many sites on the internet. Report files: The CFS CD-ROM contains report files which are extracted using a menu driven utility provided on the CD-ROM. There are two types of report files: Density and Width Summary and Raw Profile. These files are stored on the CD-ROM in DendroScan format, which is a special binary format. After running the extraction utility provided, the files can be opened using spreadsheet software. The data files contain American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) numerical and character fields of varying length separated by commas. The character fields are enclosed with single apostrophe marks. There are no spaces between the fields. Sample data records are shown in the companion data definition file (te07dend.def). 9. Data Manipulations 9.1 Formulae 9.1.1 Derivation Techniques and Algorithms If the wood is assumed to be completely dry, the thickness of the wedge at this point can be multiplied by the calibration constant to obtain the mass of the wood per cm2 at that point. This number is then divided by the thickness of the wood sample: wedge thickness * calibration constant Wood density = -------------------------------------- (1) wood thickness In practice, most wood samples are believed to have been processed with about 6% moisture content; thus, a calibration constant corrected for humidity should be used (See Section 5). 9.2 Data Processing Sequence 9.2.1 Processing Steps 1. Sample collection 2. Thin slicing 3. Extraction 4. X-ray 5. Scanning and marking 6. DendroScan 7. Reports and graphs 9.2.2 Processing Changes None given. 9.3 Calculations 9.3.1 Special Corrections/Adjustments None given. 9.3.2 Calculated Variables None given. 9.4 Graphs and Plots None given. 10. Errors 10.1 Sources of Error Several trees were sampled in a way that was not conducive to X-ray densitometry analysis. As the X-rays pass through the sample, it is important that the parallax be minimized to avoid blurring of the final image. This is accomplished by cutting the disk at a right angle to the stem, ensuring that the structure of the tree rings is perpendicular to the plane of the disk. Of the 80 trees sampled, several were found to have been cut at a distinct angle to this ideal orientation. Although in many cases it was possible to correct this in the laboratory using the thickness of the disk to adjust the angle, there were five trees for which the disks were too thin to make this correction. The X-ray densitometry laboratory and our techniques were under continual development during the processing of these samples. Although many samples have been at least partly reprocessed to compensate for this evolution, it should be noted that the relative humidity control in the X-ray laboratory was not adequate during the time most of these samples were processed. Although this does not affect the relative densities within the samples on the individual X- ray images, the absolute density values may have as much as a 5% error due to humidity variations in the laboratory between X-ray sessions. This does not affect the density of the calibration wedge, which is a nonhygroscopic plastic. 10.2 Quality Assessment 10.2.1 Data Validation by Source Not all samples used by Gower have been included, due to the magnitude of the project; some samples were lost in transit, destroyed in processing, or received with illegible or incorrect labels. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the data included in this data set and on the CD-ROM provided by CFS. 10.2.2 Confidence Level/Accuracy Judgment See Section 10.1. 10.2.3 Measurement Error for Parameters See Section 10.1. 10.2.4 Additional Quality Assessments None given. 10.2.5 Data Verification by Data Center Data were examined for general consistency and clarity. 11. Notes 11.1 Limitations of the Data None given. 11.2 Known Problems with the Data None given. 11.3 Usage Guidance The data are provided freely for general use. Researchers intending to make extensive use of the data or encountering difficulties with the material on the CFS CD-ROM are asked to contact the authors. 11.4 Other Relevant Information The images and report files are stored on the CD-ROM provided free of charge by CFS at this address: Natural Resources Canada Canadian Forest Service Northern Forest Centre 5320 - 122 Street Edmonton, Alberta T6H 3S5 12. Application of the Data Set This data set can be used to study the dendrology of the boreal forest. 13. Future Modifications and Plans None given. 14. Software 14.1 Software Description DendroScan, the software written for the analysis of X-ray images of tree rings (Varem-Sanders and Campbell, 1996), was used to analyze the resulting digital files. 14.2 Software Access None given. 15. Data Access 15.1 Contact Information For the tree summary data: Ms. Beth Nelson BOREAS Data Manager NASA GSFC Greenbelt, MD (301) 286-4005 (301) 286-0239 (fax) Elizabeth.Nelson@gsfc.nasa.gov The images and report files stored on the CFS CD-ROM are provided free of charge by CFS at this address: Natural Resources Canada Canadian Forest Service Northern Forest Centre 5320 - 122 Street Edmonton, Alberta T6H 3S5 15.2 Data Center Identification See Section 15.1. 15.3 Procedures for Obtaining Data Users may place requests by telephone, electronic mail, fax. 15.4 Data Center Status/Plans The TE-07 dendrology data are available from the Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC). The BOREAS contact at ORNL is: ORNL DAAC User Services Oak Ridge National Laboratory (865) 241-3952 ornldaac@ornl.gov ornl@eos.nasa.gov 16. Output Products and Availability 16.1 Tape Products None. 16.2 Film Products None. 16.3 Other Products TIFF images and DendroScan files containing the report files. 17. References 17.1 Platform/Sensor/Instrument/Data Processing Documentation None given. 17.2 Journal Articles and Study Reports Fritts, H.C. 1976. Tree Rings and Climate. Academic Press, New York, New York. Gower, S.T., J.G. Vogel, J.M. Norman, C.J. Kucharik, S.J. Steele, and T.K. Stow. 1997. Carbon Distribution and Aboveground Net Primary Production in Aspen, Jack Pine, and Black Spruce Stands in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Canada. J. Geophys. Res. 102 (D24), 29029-29041. Halliwell, D.H. and M.J. Apps. 1997a. BOReal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (BOREAS) Biometry and Auxiliary Sites: Locations and Descriptions. Nat. Resour. Can., Can. For. Serv., North. For. Cent., Edmonton, Alberta. Halliwell, D.H. and M.J. Apps. 1997b. BOReal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (BOREAS) Biometry and Auxiliary Sites: Overstory and Understory Data. Nat. Resour. Can., Can. For. Serv., North. For. Cent., Edmonton, Alberta. Halliwell, D.H. and M.J. Apps. 1997c. BOReal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (BOREAS) Biometry and Auxiliary Sites: Soils and Detritus Data. Nat. Resour. Can., Can. For. Serv., North. For. Cent., Edmonton, Alberta. Jozsa, L.A. and G.R. Middleton. 1994. A Discussion of Wood Quality Attributes and their Practical Implications. Forintek Can. Corp., Vancouver, British Columbia. Special Publication SP-34. Jozsa, L.A., M.L. Parker, P.A. Bramhall, and S.G. Johnson. 1984. How Climate Affects Tree Growth in the Boreal Forest. Environ. Can., Can. For. Serv., North. For. Res. Cent., Edmonton, Alberts. Inf Rep. NOR-X-255. Sellers, P. and F. Hall. 1994. Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study: Experiment Plan. Version 1994-3.0, NASA BOREAS Report (EXPLAN 94). Sellers, P., F. Hall, and K.F. Huemmrich. 1996. Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study: 1994 Operations. NASA BOREAS Report (OPSDOC 94). Sellers, P.J., F. Hall, H. Margolis, B. Kelly, D. Baldocchi, G. den Hartog, J. Cihlar, M.G. Ryan, B. Goodison, P. Crill, K.J. Ranson, D. Lettenmaier, and D.E. Wickland. 1995. The Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (BOREAS): An overview and early results from the 1994 field year. Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc. 76:1549-1577. Sellers, P. and F. Hall. 1996. Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study: Experiment Plan. Version 1996-2.0, NASA BOREAS Report (EXPLAN 96). Sellers, P., F. Hall, and K.F. Huemmrich. 1997. Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study: 1996 Operations. NASA BOREAS Report (OPSDOC 96). Sellers, P.J., F.G. Hall, R.D. Kelly, A. Black, D. Baldocchi, J. Berry, M. Ryan, K.J. Ranson, P.M. Crill, D.P. Lettenmaier, H. Margolis, J. Cihlar, J. Newcomer, D. Fitzjarrald, P.G. Jarvis, S.T. Gower, D. Halliwell, D. Williams, B. Goodison, D.E. Wickland, and F.E. Guertin. 1997. BOREAS in 1997: Experiment overview, scientific results, and future directions. Journal of Geophysical Research, 102 (D24), 28731-28769. Varem-Sanders, T.M.L. and I.D. Campbell. 1996. DendroScan: Tree-Ring Width and Density Measurement System. Nat. Resour. Can., Can. For. Serv., North. For. Cent., Edmonton, Alberta. Spec. Rep. 10. Varem-Sanders, T.M.L. and I.D. Campbell. 1998. BOReal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (BOREAS) biometry and auxiliary sites: X-ray densitometry of tree allometry samples. Canadian Forest Service: Northern Forestry Centre. 17.3 Archive/DBMS Usage Documentation None. 18. Glossary of Terms None given. 19. List of Acronyms AIM - Aspen Immature Medium ASCII - American Standard Code for Information Interchange BFTCS - Boreal Forest Transect Case Study BMH - Black Spruce Mature High BOREAS - BOReal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study BORIS - BOREAS Information System CD-ROM - Compact Disk-Read Only memory CFS - Canadian Forest Service DAAC - Distributed Active Archive Center DOY - Julian Day of Year DPI - Data Per Inch EOS - Earth Observing System EOSDIS - EOS Data and Information System GMT - Greenwich Mean Time GSFC - Goddard Space Flight Center HTML - HyperText Markup Language IFC - Intensive Field Campaign MIX - Mixed Wood NAD83 - North American Datum of 1983 NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NSA - Northern Study Area OA - Old Aspen OBS - Old Black Spruce OJP - Old Jack Pine ORNL - Oak Ridge National Laboratory PANP - Prince Albert National Park RSS - Remote Sensing Science S - Sap Flux Density SSA - Southern Study Area TE - Terrestrial Ecology TF - Tower Flux URL - Uniform Resource Locator UTM - Universal Transverse Mercator VPD - Vapor Pressure Deficit YJP - Young Jack Pine 20. Document Information 20.1 Document Revision Date Written: 07-Dec-1998 Last Updated: 09-Feb-1999 20.2 Document Review Date(s) BORIS Review: 22-Dec-1998 Science Review: 20.3 Document ID 20.4 Citation T.M.L. Varem-Sanders and I.D. Campbell, both of the Canadian Forest Service at the Northern Forestry Centre. 20.5 Document Curator 20.6 Document URL Keywords Dendrology Density Tree Rings Volume Increment X-ray TE07_Dendrology.doc 03/03/99