The Scottish Pine Project

Based in the St Andrews Tree Ring Laboratory, the Scottish Pine Project brings together a collaborative team that includes palaeoclimatologists, geochemists, archaeologists, ecologists and even a specialist in robotics! The aim is to derive a broad holistic view and understanding of climatic and environmental change over the late Holocene period.

The project will develop and update tree-ring chronologies from all semi-natural pine woodlands in the Scottish Highlands, using extant, historical or sub-fossil tree-ring material to extend chronologies.

The work will examine climatic, ecological and management influences on Scots pine tree growth, with a view to reconstructing past climate as well as improving the understanding of the future response of the native pinewoods. Another objective is to extend the application of native pine dendrochronology for cultural heritage research, including dating native pine timbers in buildings and archaeological sites.

Read more about the project here.