A Review of Oak Dendrochronology in Eastern Europe

Abstract

Over the recent decades, a many oak tree-ring width chronologies have been used for archaeological, climatological and ecological studies, particularly across western, southern and central Europe. However, a general summary of research in the easternmost distribution of European oaks, represented mainly by Quercus robur L. and Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl., has been missing. Therefore, we herein overview the current state-of-the-art of oak dendrochronology in Eastern Europe. Many tree-ring width chronologies were created across this area mostly from living trees and applied in the investigation of climate-growth relationships or dendroecological studies, especially in Baltic States. In contrast, dendrochronological dating is fairly rare in the Baltic area because of a low occurrence of oak wood in historical constructions. The only long multi-centennial tree-ring width (TRW) chronology compiled using living trees as well as historical buildings exists in western Ukraine, though many preserved historical buildings still remain unexplored in some regions (e.g. Transcarpathia). The general lack of long and well-replicated TRW chronologies resulted in usage of radiocarbon methods or TRW chronologies representing distant regions for dating purposes. Nevertheless, some regions show great dendrochronological potential for compilation of long tree-ring width chronologies and its usability in dendroarchaeology or paleo-climatology.