Tree rings can date historic structures and other objects of archaeological interest.
At CTRS, we have used tree rings to date over 40 historic structures in the eastern U.S., Canada, and beyond. Notable historic homes include the Nathan Boone Home (Ash Grove, Mo.), the Pierre Menard Home (Ellis Grove, Ill.), and the Pierre DeLasuss House (Ste. Genevieve, Mo.).
Typically, a wood sample is either cut from the end of a structural beam or a core is extracted using specialized drilling equipment. The ring-width patterns from the timbers are matched to tree-ring records from nearby forests, allowing us to determine the absolute year of being cut. Usually, timbers must be from a long-lived tree species such as oak, pine, or cedar and have at least 60 rings to be dateable.
