Kay Sullivan and Ann Pizzitola
We had a summer field trip on Aug. 5 to the Tree Ring Lab at the University of Arizona—what the heck is that? We knew going in that you could count the rings to determine the age of a tree, but we found you could do much more than that. Dendrochronology, the use of tree-ring records in combination with other natural archives, is used to reconstruct the histories of fires, insect outbreaks, human land uses, and climate, providing facts and figures to allow for better management of our forests. Not your cup of tea yet? You can also learn about the spruce forest in the Italian Alps where master violin maker Antonio Stradivari used to go to hand-pick the tree that would be used to make his violin. We learned that if you look carefully, the trees will tell you their life story, their traumas, their joys, everything. The Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research is definitely a cool place, with something for everyone. Check it out at ltrr.arizona.edu.
This trip was so popular that the Nature Club had to schedule a second field trip on Sept. 18. These are the kinds of field trips we plan for our members. Lunch followed at Blue Willow.
The fall season is fully underway with presentations for October, November, and December where we will hear about birds, the life of black bears, and Arizona animals that create those strange holes in the ground. Our director of programs is working to confirm speakers to talk about saguaros and recycling for our January and February meetings.
Visit our website saddlebrookenatureclub.org for the times and locations of the upcoming programs and for a membership application form.