Unambiguous and Low-Cost Determination of Growth Rates and Ages of Tropical Trees and Palms

Abstract

The determination of the age of tropical trees and palms is of significant importance for ecological studies and designing sustainable forest management plans. Radiocarbon is a powerful tool that can potentially help the determination of ages and growth rates of these plants. However, the application of 14 C analyses has one important problem for trees without annual rings and palms: the calibration of 14 C measurements with common programs such as CALIBomb or OxCal gives erroneous determinations for wood formed between AD 1954 and 1964. This problem is illustrated here using samples from a tropical tree (Otoba gracilipes) and a tropical palm (Oenocarpus bataua). This study shows how the use of two adjacent samples can help to unambiguously determine the real age of the samples and their mean growth rates. For comparison, long-term growth measurements for both species were used and it was determined that 14 C analyses provide accurate determination of growth rates for tropical trees and palms. Furthermore, the application of 14 C analyses in palms allows the determination of the rosette stage, rarely quantified in forest inventories and life-history studies.

Spatial and Temporal Variations in Aboveground Woody Carbon Storage for Cerrado Forests and Woodlands of Mato Grosso, Brazil

“…It should be noted that we did not consider the C w and Δ C w for palms because of the difficulties associated with measuring tree height, and thus, growth rates (del Valle et al, ). However, palms (specifically Attalea phalerata Mart.…”

Reconstruction of past climatic events using oxygen isotopes in Washingtonia robusta growing in three anthropic oases in Baja California Sur

“…Although the isotope curves of W. robusta exhibited some relationship with historical climate events, the utility of the data might improve if a methodology to estimate the age of formation of stem cellulose were to be developed. Approaches for calculating the ages of plants using 14 C in species without growth rings, such as Pachycereus pringlei (Delgado-Fernández et al, 2016), Carnegiea gigantea (English et al, 2007), and tropical trees such as Otoba gracilipes and the palm Oenocarpus bataua (del Valle et al, 2014), have been developed. Similarly, it will be important for future research to calculate the relationship of the whole hydrological cycle, including precipitation, humidity, temperature, and evaporation that is involved in the absorption of water by W. robusta palms, to obtain more reliable assessments of δ 18 O in this species.…”

Opportunities for Improved Transparency in the Timber Trade through Scientific Verification

“…Accurate calculation requires two samples of different ages (such as different tree rings within a piece of timber). The results reveal the age of the individual tree rings tested, but this may not equate to the felling date if the outermost tree rings were not present in the sample (del Valle et al 2014).…”

“…Genus, species, and geographic origin verification will all be important for determining a shipment's compliance. Import and export permit requirements (mainly CITES) can change depending on the age of timber; therefore, the independent verification of age, such as through radiocarbon dating (del Valle et al 2014), can be used to identify where illegal timber was incorrectly claimed to pre-date legislation. Wood anatomy, mass spectrometry, and DNA identification have all been used successfully to identify timber at the Port of Rotterdam, and radiocarbon analyses have been sought but were ultimately deemed unnecessary because of other factors (Anton Huitema, CITES Officer at the Port of Rotterdam, personal communication, 2 July 2016).…”