Interview: Professor Maegen Rochner, Dendochronologist
On this week’s program, your host, Justin Mog, puts down his pruning saw for a conversation about the science of tree rings with Dr. Maegen Rochner. Maegen is a Dendrochronologist and a professor of Geographic & Environmental Sciences at the University of Louisville. Her research has focused on the use of tree-ring data to reconstruct past climate and environmental conditions. More specifically, her dissertation research used tree rings in relic and living whitebark pine and Engelmann spruce to investigate climate change and disturbance in the Beartooth Mountains of Northwest Wyoming. She also enjoys research in dendroarchaeology, or using tree-ring patterns to date historic frame structures, log cabins, canoes, and most anything made out of wood. Dr. Rochner has also assisted her colleagues in other fields of dendrochronology, including fire history studies, climate reconstruction, ecology, stand dynamics, and more.
As a tree-ring scientist in Louisville, Maegen is interested in initiating local research projects focused on (1) urban forests and their responses to climate change and urban heat islands, (2) tree-ring dating of local historic resources, such as cabins, buildings, and artifacts, (3) pollution and invasive species, and (4) spatial differences in tree species and ages used in urban forests and parks. Learn more online here.
For those interested in diving deeper into the topic of dendrochronology, Dr. Rochner recommends www.dendrohub.com/
As always, our feature is followed by your community action calendar for the week, so get your calendars out and get ready to take action for sustainability NOW!
Sustainability Now! is hosted by Dr. Justin Mog and airs on Forward Radio, 106.5fm, WFMP-LP Louisville, every Monday at 6pm and repeats Tuesdays at 12am and 10am. Find us at forwardradio.org
Source: Interview: Professor Maegen Rochner, Dendochronologist (Sustainability Now!, Forward Radio 106.5fm, March 4, 2024)
