Dendrochronology of a Fire-Scarred Ponderosa Pine

Historical fire frequency in a stand of southwestern ponderosa pine has been documented in a master fire chronology developed for a prescribed burning study area in Arizona. One of the 12 specimens used to assemble this chronology was a small, suppressed tree that contained 42 fire scars. Standard crossdating techniques were used to date the fire scars accurately, locate missing and locally absent rings, and identify special problems relating to analysis and dating of this unusual specimen. Mean fire interval for the study area was about 2 years; mean fire interval for the individual specimen was 4 years for the 178-year period, 1722-1900. Forest Sci. 30:238-247.