Tropical Tree Rings and Environmental Change

Abstract

The photograph on the cover of this issue of Southeastern Geographer is of a South Flor- ida slash pine (Pinus elliottii var. densa; hereafter slash pine) cross-section from the Florida Keys that was prepared for tree- ring analysis. Slash pine is the foundation species and sole canopy tree of the endan- gered pine rockland ecosystem in the United States. This species also is the southern- most native conifer in the United States. As such, the cover photograph represents the equatorward progression of dendrochro- nology into tropical and subtropical re- gions. Dendrochronology is the science of using the annual growth rings in trees, dated to their exact calendar year of forma- tion, to study patterns of processes that oc- cur in the physical, natural, and cultural sciences. During the life of a tree, these bio- logical organisms remain stationary and