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

A groundbreaking thousand-year pine tree-ring chronology (997–2020 AD) for Belarus has been developed, offering unprecedented insights into climate variability and wood provenance. This chronology, BY02b, was constructed using tree-ring series from living trees, as well as historic and archaeological timbers sourced from Nesvizh Castle, the Holy Intercession Church in Turets, Hrodna Castle, and Navahrudak. The analysis reveals strong correlations with neighboring regional chronologies, including those from Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Northern Belarus, suggesting shared climatic influences during the 14th century. Tree-ring width demonstrates stable positive relationships with June precipitation and March temperatures, positioning this chronology as a valuable climate proxy for Baltic pine wood dating and provenancing.

Yermokhin, M. (2025). The first thousand-year pine tree-ring chronology in Belarus. Dendrochronologia, 90, 126287. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dendro.2025.126287