SAPWOOD RINGS ESTIMATION FOR PINUS SYLVESTRIS L. IN LITHUANIA AND LATVIA
Pinus sylvestris L. is the predominant tree species used for wooden constructions in the Baltic area. Accordingly, the timber of Pinus is the most important object for investigation and dating carried out by dendrochronologists of the Baltic countries. However, the dating of historical Pinus is often challenging when the outer sapwood rings are missing in the wood samples. In Pinus, sapwood rings increase in number as the tree ages, and therefore calculating the approximate number of missing outer rings from a set range, a technique used for oak, is not possible. In Norway, a simple method for estimating the number of sapwood rings has been developed for some native species of conifers. The…
A lake fortress, a floating chronology, and an atmospheric anomaly: the surprising results of a radiocarbon wiggle-match from Āraiši, Latvia
Abstract An Iron Age timber settlement which, in view of the defensive structures uncovered, is described as a lake fortress, on an island in Lake Āraiši, north-eastern Latvia, was excavated in 1965–69 and 1975–79 by teams led by Jānis Apals, who distinguished five construction phases. Dendrochronological analysis produced a c. 100-year floating chronology for Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) timbers from the earliest phase. A 14C wiggle-match was undertaken to obtain an absolute date range for the final year of the floating chronology, and thus for the construction of the settlement. Ten blocks of wood from one timber, each comprising 6-11 years and collectively spanning the whole 9…