Abstract:
There are only a few tree species in tropical zones showing the potential for conducting dendrochronology as tropical zones have been the target of logging concessions for a long time. Therefore, there are obstacles to the study of tree rings in these areas where full-grown trees with a significant tree ring width are scarce. Nevertheless, this study attempts to select living teak trees from an elevation range of 100-600 m above the sea level (a.s.l.) from Mae Hong Son province, Northwest Thailand. The study sites are isolated. Our research aims to investigate growth, synchronise data between sites, and understand how teak tree ring width responds to ecological position and climate. In this study, we divided the study-site into 5 sites, each site covers different elevation except sites 4 and 5, which are the same elevation. The results revealed that the high correlation amongst the five sites chosen indicates the influence of a common force on the tree growth. The climatic response of teak growth showed that rainfall from the previous December to the next monsoon, March to July, in the current year, directly influences teak growth and, in turn, is negatively correlated with the temperature during the same period. Our results suggest that the teak network in Mae Hong Son province can be used as a high resolution proxy for drought and rainfall reconstruction in northwest Thailand.
Page(s):
165-174
DOI:
DOI not available
Published:
Journal: Science, Technology and Development, Volume: 31, Issue: 2, Year: 2012