The first thousand-year pine tree-ring chronology in Belarus

Abstract

We used tree-ring series from living trees, as well as historic and archaeological timbers from the upper and middle parts of the Neman basin, to develop the first thousand-year chronology of Pinus sylvestris spanning the period 997–2020AD. Historic timbers were collected from Nesvizh Castle and the Holy Intercession Church in Turets, while archaeological timbers were sourced from Hrodna Castle and Navahrudak. The chronology BY02b shows a strong correlation with those from neighboring regions, including Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Northern Belarus. It was proved that Kujawpom chronology from Poland and BY02b may include trees from the same region during the 14th century. Tree-ring width consistently shows positive, stable relationships over time with June precipitation and March temperatures. Thus, this new chronology can be used not only for dating and provenancing Baltic pine wood but also as a climate proxy.