Chronology development and climate response analysis of different New Zealand pink pine (Halocarpus biformis) tree-ring parameters

Abstract

Seven different tree-ring parameters (total ring width, earlywood width, latewood width, maximum latewood density, minimum earlywood density, average earlywood density, and average latewood density) were obtained from pink pine (Halocarpus biformis Hook.) at one chronology site in New Zealand (NZ). The chronologies were analyzed individually and then compared with each other. The relationships between the different tree-ring parameters and climate data (NZ average and local climate data) are also presented. There were more significant climate response functions in the NZ national average climate series than that of local climate data series. Earlywood-related parameters (earlywood width, minimum density, and average earlywood density) were more sensitive to climate than those of latewood. Temperature during the NZ growth season (November-March) was found to be the most strongly related to tree growth. This study demonstrates that the use of both ring width and ring density data can increase the climate information obtained from ring widths and should lead to improved paleoclimate reconstructions in New Zealand.