TRAMITE DE LA SUSPENSION:
I.- Que el acontecimiento sea futuro; y, I Que el acontecimiento sea incierto.
Collaborative project funded by SEMARNAT-CONACYT
Lorenzo Vazquez- Salem
UNAM-Geography Department Fieldtrips, tree sampling, research contacts, students training
Rodolfo Acuña-Soto UNAM-Medicine Department Fieldtrips, wood collections, research contacts
Adrian Varela- Echavarria
Participative Ecological Organization (NGO) for the Carboniferous Region
Wood collections, research contacts
Santiago Solis Technological Institute of Forestry, Salto, Durango
Location of sites for sampling, training of students, research collaborations
Helen Mills Forest Department, Yale University
Participation in field collections, chronology generation, research contacts
9. Linkages to any Global Change Organizations/Programs
10. Media Coverage
The project has received a great deal of coverage attention by media, thus, local and regional newspapers, radio programs, and regional magazines have highlighted the importance of tree-ring studies in Mexico for conservation purposes (table 9).
Table 9. Media coverage obtained along the project development
Media Coverage Title Date Nomadica, magazine Los anillos de arboles
centenarios y sus presagios del clima
July-August, 2004
Editor of the Discovery Magazine
Interview related to
dendrochronological studies in Mexico for conservation
November, 2004
Radio program “La hora Nacional”
El Laboratorio de
Dendrocronologia del INIFAP
December, 2004
Siglo de Torreon, Newspaper Dendrocronología “árboles que hablan”
January, 2005
11. Policy relevance
Most of the results derived from this project are pure science, however, some results may have direct applications. At this respect, a flow reconstruction on the Nazas river is policy relevant and can be used to schedule a better use of water for irrigation and industrial purposes on the lowlands of the Chihuahuan desert. The study of the dynamics of riparian ecosystem on the Nazas river and other wetlands in central Mexico has detected the presence of ancient trees, part of this information is being used by ONGs to promote the conservation of this ecosystems.
The annual growth rate determination of mesquite woodlands on the Chihuahuan desert is essential for a sustainable management of this ecosystem. The produced information has been distributed to government institutions dealing with the management and conservation of vegetation.
12. Remaining Funds
All funds will be spent by the end of March. After this date it may happen that some remaining funds are still available, but those funds may correspond to unliquidated obligations to be covered on the first two weeks of April.
14. Future Outlook/follow-up activities
The amount of information derived from this project is enormous and considerable amounts of data are still being in processed, most of the produced tree-ring chronologies have not been analyzed for paleoclimatic reconstructions, therefore, a follow-up activity will be to develop climatic analysis and to understand in a greater detail the influence of circulatory patterns. It is important to note that much of this information will support some of the objectives stated on the new CRNII_047 proposal and technically will support new proposals to be submitted to Mexican funding agencies that in some cases will complement international funds for research and capacity building.
Another follow-up activity will be the publication of research and technical papers recognizing the support provided by the CRN03 project.
15. Opinion on the IAI process
The experience derived from my participation on this IAI project has been unparalleled and has provided an excellent opportunity to interact with highly qualified people working in different countries but focused in common issues. The climate behavior in the American continent is influenced by a range of circulatory patterns teleconnected each other and impacting some regions differently. Understanding the historical behavior of these circulatory patterns is only possible through the integration of a network of people like those participating in this CRN. The issues addressed on this project are difficult to reach in such a short period of time (five years), however, the created infrastructure, training of personnel, generation of databases and paleoclimatic analysis will provide the scientific information to support new research proposals that in coming years will continue to provide policy relevant information to decision makers for a better use of water and other natural resources.
Some important Mexican tree ring sites
A mixed conifer stand with spruce, Douglas-fir, and different pine species in El Salto, Durango
A dead standing Douglas-fir tree in the Sierra Madre Occidental. Living trees in this mountain range reach ca. 550 years.
A riparian ecosystem with baldcypress trees along the Rio Sabinas, northern Coahuila. Trees sampled at this site were between 150 and 350 years old.
Sampling bald cypress sites
A baldcypress stand located between the states of Queretaro and Hidalgo. This is a relatively young stand with trees <150 years.
Sampling a baldcypress tree along the Nazas River, Durango. This tree is 250 years old.
Old Bald Cypress trees
Old baldcypress trees in Barranca de Amealco, Queretaro. Some trees in this stand are over 1000 years old
A 1050 year old baldcypress tree located in a wetland in Los Peroles, San Luis Potosi.
The oldest tree in Mexico
The oldest living tree in Mexico. This 1534 year old baldcypress was found in the wetland at Los Peroles, San Luis Potosi in 2005.