The work is presented in three parts, Part 1 providing the basis of dendrochronology as a science, introducing the reader to the details of tree and wood anatomy, followed by a brief history of the discipline, emphasising the importance of cross-dating for the development of tree-ring chronologies. This section is completed with a conceptual model of environmental signals that are embedded in wood growth at individual and population level, including a discussion essential for interpretation.
Part 2 focuses on the various tools used for dendrochonological studies of environmental change, specified with measurements, including width, density and composition of tree-rings. This is followed by a description of analytical methods in the spatial domain which can be applied to tree-ring networks. Finally, there will be a summary of multivariate techniques used for reconstructing environment changes.
The third and final part of the book will detail the four major applications of dendrochronology, including reconstruction of climatic factors that are reflected in wood increment from year to year, dating of abrupt events that leave permanent scars in the wood, dating of archaeological materials, both directly and indirectly, and finally the calibration of the radio-carbon timescale over the last 10,000 years. Case studies and an extensive bibliography are provided, as well as an assessment of where the areas of greatest potential research lie in the future.