Evidence of volcanic activity in the growth rings of trees at the Tacaná volcano, Mexico–Guatemala border

Abstract

Volcanic activity can have a significant effect on the growth and survival of trees. The objective of our research was to analyze the effects of the 1855–1856 eruption of the Tacaná volcano and the ashfall from the 1902 eruption of the Santa María volcano, Guatemala, on the radial growth of trees at Tacaná. Dendrochronological sampling was carried out on sites covered by Pinus hartwegii Lindl., and a ring-width chronology was built using 102 increment cores from 75 trees. The ring-width chronology shows two statistically significant suppression events. One of these events occurred from 1857 to 1868 and was potentially caused by the historic eruption of Tacaná (1855–1856). The second suppression event occurred from 1903 to 1908, during which tree growth was affected 1 year after the ashfall caused by the 1902 eruption of Santa María. The growth suppression did not have the same magnitude in all sampled trees and may be related to the thickness of the ash layer deposited around each tree. For the first time, we show that tree growth at Tacaná is reduced by ashfall from volcanic eruptions. Our results may contribute to the evaluation of risks associated with the volcanic activity of the Tacaná volcano.