In Northwestern Alaska, well-preserved architectural timbers from coastal Neo-Inuit archaeological sites can be used to document the climatic variations and cultural transformations of the beginning of the 2nd millennium AD. In this treeless tundra environment, the main wood resource is driftwood from interior Alaskan forests, carried to the coast by major rivers and ocean currents. Conventional dendrochronology allowed cross-dating 68 architectural timbers out of 282 archaeolo...

Information garnered from historical timbers and wooden artifacts (e.g. houses, barns, ships) can greatly enhance our understanding of human, ecological, and climate history, especially in regions where few old-growth forests and trees remain, tree longevity is relatively short (less than 300-400 years), and environmental conditions break down wood rather quickly, like in mesic to wet regions Over the last decade plus, the application of tree-ring techniques on woo...