dendrochronology
den·dro·chro·nol·o·gy
/ˌdendrōkrəˈnäləjē/
noun
A science invented by astronomer Andrew Ellicott Douglass and archaeologist Clark Wissler in the first decades of the 20th century.
Clue: endorsed by Smokey the Bear and Woody Woodpecker.
Dendrochronology (or tree-ring dating) is the scientific method of dating tree rings (also called growth rings) to the exact year they were formed. As well as dating them, this can give data for dendroclimatology, the study of climate and atmospheric conditions during different periods in history from wood. (Via Wikipedia)
You nailed that one Carl and JP.
Where might one find this field of study being applied:
"Through studies of tree rings, sediment and other natural evidence, researchers have documented multiple droughts in California that lasted 10 or 20 years in a row during the past 1,000 years — compared to the mere three-year duration of the current dry spell. The two most severe megadroughts make the Dust Bowl of the 1930s look tame: a 240-year-long drought that started in 850 and, 50 years after the conclusion of that one, another that stretched at least 180 years."
https://www.environmentalscience.org/dendrochronology-tree-rings-tell-us
Dendrochronology is the study of data from tree ring growth. Due to the sweeping and diverse applications of this data, specialists can come from many academic disciplines. There are no degrees in dendrochronology because though it is useful across the board, the method itself is fairly limited.
https://www.arborday.org/trees/ringslivingforest.cfm
