Network of tree-ring series in Estonia connected with north European chronologies

Abstract

The present paper describes the course of building up the tree ring network of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in Estonia. Although the construction timber in this region of the Baltic comes from two tree species, Scots pine and Norway spruce ( Picea abies Karst.), only the former was used for comparisons between the average tree ring series in Estonia and tree ring chronologies of Scots pine from other neighbouring areas: Sweden, Finland, Latvia and Poland. The dated tree ring series were compared using Student's t-criterion. It appeared that Estonian tree ring series of pine generally showed the greatest similarity with the chronology of Gotland pine in Sweden (the t-value with the average series of growing pines in north-western Estonia reaching 9.59). The similarities with other matched tree ring chronologies were also significant. It can be concluded that Estonia belongs together with other Baltic Sea countries to the same dendroclimatological region of uniform tree growth. This fact enables to use dated tree ring chronologies from the neighbouring areas to confirm the dating of tree ring sequences in Estonia.