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Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research

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Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research

The Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research was established at the University of Arizona in 1937. In 1937 A. E.

Douglass, founder of the modern science of dendrochronology, established the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research at the University of Arizona. The Tree-Ring Lab is recognized worldwide as a preeminent center for the advancement of tree-ring techniques and the broad application of dendrochronology in the social and environmental sciences.

05/11/2026

It's our last Storytelling event at Tohono Chul Children's Museum.

Bring your little ones and join us for Tiny Sparks Storytelling on Friday, May 15 at 9 AM at the Children’s Museum Oro Valley inside Tohono Chul ! 📚✨ We’ll be reading Cactus Hotel by Brenda Guiberson, a beautiful story about how a single cactus becomes a busy home for many desert animals.

After Storytime, families can “Create Your Own Cactus Hotel,” designing cacti filled with birds, lizards, insects, and other desert guests using drawing and collage materials. 🌵🏨🎨

This hands-on project invites children to imagine who might live in their cactus and learn how desert habitats provide food and shelter.

05/10/2026

It's our last Storytelling event at the Pima County County house!

Bring your little ones and join us for Tiny Sparks Storytelling on Thursday May 14, at 11 AM at the Pima County Courthouse Courtyard with Children’s Museum Oro Valley and the Alfie Norville Gem & Mineral Museum ! 📚✨ We’ll be reading The Seed and the Giant Saguaro by Jennifer Ward, following a tiny seed’s journey through the Sonoran Desert and the surprising connections it makes along the way.

After Storytime, families can create a Ripped Paper Desert Habitat Collage, tearing and layering colorful paper to build cacti, animals, and desert landscapes inspired by the book. 🌵🎨 This hands-on project invites children to explore the beauty and diversity of the desert ecosystem while making their own textured masterpiece.

Early storytelling and art help children make meaningful connections with the natural world, sparking curiosity and a sense of wonder that can last a lifetime. 💡🌱

05/03/2026

Join us this Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at Noon for our next Tree-Ring Talk by PhD Candidate Sonia Oreano Hernández, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) on "Study of hydrogeomorphic processes in headwaters of ungauged subbasins in an intertropical zone: a dendrogeomorphic approach", in Bannister 110 and via Zoom. Our speaker is in person.

Abstract:

Flash floods and debris flows are powerful natural hazards—especially in intertropical regions where landscapes are highly sensitive to climate shifts. But how do we understand events in places with little to no monitoring data?

In this study, we turn to trees for answers 🌲 Using a dendrogeomorphic approach, we analyzed tree rings from Abies religiosa in Mexico’s El Chichichile subbasin to reconstruct a history of hydrogeomorphic activity. These trees record past disturbances through growth anomalies, resin ducts, and suppressed growth—signals linked to flash floods and other extreme events over the past 20 years.

Our findings reveal that local geology—like faults and rock composition—plays a key role in shaping where and how these hazards occur by influencing soil moisture patterns. Even more intriguing: these trees may also capture evidence of earthquakes and hurricanes, expanding their value beyond traditional climate studies.

By combining tree-ring science with geomorphology, we can better understand—and prepare for—natural hazards in vulnerable, data-scarce regions.

Please register at Eventbrite via link in bio or https://bit.ly/4skpXuo
The zoom link will be sent to you. If you have any issues registering, please contact [email protected]

04/29/2026

🚨 Arizona educators — summer PD opportunity!

LTRR’s Dr. Pamela Pelletier is joining the University of Arizona’s Cu at the Mine! Summer Teacher Academy ⛏️ Dive into hands-on STEM learning focused on mining, earth science, natural resources, and Arizona geology — with real-world connections you can bring straight back to your classroom.

📅 Session dates:

⛏️June 1–5

⛏️June 22–26

⛏️July 6–10

🕘 Full-day program (40 hours of professional development credit!)
🎓 Designed for educators
📦 Includes FREE classroom resources

This popular program fills fast, so don’t wait!

🔗 Register via the link in the bio or here: https://bit.ly/4tF7xWt

04/27/2026

Geos 195D: A Sense of Place (SOP) is all about learning in the field. Each spring, students head out on four full-day trips across Tucson, exploring the connections between geology, ecology, and cultural history in the places where they intersect.

From San Xavier del Bac to Tumamoc Hill, Saguaro National Park West, Ft. Lowell, Catalina State Park, and Mt. Lemmon, SOP brings Tucson’s landscapes—and stories—to life.

Since 2005, Drs. Paul Sheppard and Gary Huckleberry have led this course year after year, guiding students from across disciplines through 88 shared field trips (and counting). Along the way, students consistently describe SOP as transformative—an experience that deepens their understanding of Tucson by immersing them directly in its environments.

This year marked a major milestone: Paul’s 100th SOP trip and 88 trips together as teaching partners. Just as the course has shaped generations of students, it has also been a meaningful journey for its instructors.

Here’s to Sense of Place—and the many ways it connects us to where we are.

04/21/2026

Educators—this one’s for you! 🍎🌿

Pima County Conservation Lands & Resources’ Environmental Education team is hosting a two-day summer professional development workshop for 2nd–8th grade educators on June 10–11. This workshop is inquiry-based and discovery driven, designed to get you outside and inspired.

LTRR’s Dr. Pamela Pelletier will be facilitating Project Learning Tree, a hands-on curriculum that helps you bring your students outdoors to explore conservation, ecosystems, and real-world data collection. 🌳📊

Participants will receive 12 hours of Continuing Education credit and take-home materials valued at more than $25 to jump-start your next year of lessons.

What are you waiting for?
Sign up today via the link in our bio or https://bit.ly/4uf6BbB

04/20/2026

Congratulations to LTRR’s Lyra Rahner, who successfully defended her master’s thesis:
“Late-season climate sensitivities of stem and root growth in U.S. Southwestern conifers suggests temporal shifts in above- and below-ground carbon allocation priorities.”

Lyra’s research looks at how different parts of a tree—stems, branches, and roots—respond to climate over time, using samples taken along the main stem plus branches and roots from ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir in Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico. By comparing growth above and below ground from 1971–2021, she showed that trees can shift their “investment” between stems and roots under different late‑season climate conditions, especially in ponderosa pine.

This work helps us better understand whole‑tree growth dynamics, carbon allocation, and how Southwestern conifers may respond to a changing climate. 🌦️🌲

Lyra plans to continue researching whole‑tree growth at the Laboratory of Tree‑Ring Research — we’re excited to see what comes next!

👏 Drop a congratulations for Lyra in the comments!

04/17/2026

LTRR’s Dr. Pamela Pelletier was thrilled to co-present the workshop “Laugh, Learn, and Shimmy: Science Communication with a Tease” at the the Association of Science Communicators Conference in Portland, OR on March 26!

Alongside Drs. Valerie Bentivegna , Justice Morath, and Sky Hatter —this workshop explored how comedy, cabaret, burlesque, and music can transform science outreach by bringing STEM into clubs, bars, and creative community spaces far beyond the classroom.

The biggest takeaways? When science meets performance, curiosity thrives—and new, innovative approaches to science communication emerge. By blending art and outreach, we can reach audiences who don’t see themselves reflected in traditional STEM settings, expanding representation and belonging in science. Through humor, movement, and storytelling, we can make discovery feel as engaging and human as it truly is. 💫

04/16/2026

Celebrating big news from the tree-ring world! 🌲🎉

Professor Donald Falk has been named a 2026 Fellow of the Ecological Society of America (ESA), one of the highest honors in the field of ecology. As a faculty member in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment with a joint appointment in the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, Falk’s work on fire history, fire ecology, and ecological resilience helps us understand how ecosystems adapt in a rapidly changing climate.

This recognition highlights decades of contributions to ecology, restoration, and global change science, and reflects the impact of his leadership in research, teaching, and mentoring.

Join us in congratulating Dr. Falk on this well-deserved honor! 🌎🔥🌲

Read more through the link in Bio or https://bit.ly/4mSQ22J

04/13/2026

Bring your little ones and join us for Tiny Sparks Storytelling on Friday, April 17 at 9 AM at the Children's Museum Oro Valley inside Tohono Chul ! 📚✨ We’ll be reading Moth & Butterfly: Ta‑Da! by Dev Petty, a delightful story about transformation, friendship, and finding your own way to shine.

After Storytime, families can create colorful tissue paper moths and butterflies, layering shapes and colors to bring their fluttery insects to life. 🦋🎨 This hands-on project invites children to explore patterns, symmetry, and imagination as they craft their own winged masterpieces.

Early storytelling and art help children make meaningful connections with the natural world, sparking curiosity and a sense of wonder that can last a lifetime. 💡🌱

Address

1215 E Lowell Street
Tucson, AZ
85721

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 5pm

Telephone

+15206211608

Website

http://ltrr.arizona.edu/

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