Andrew Ellicott Douglass and the Big Trees: The Role of the Giant Sequoia in the Development of Dendrochronology

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This project focuses on a detailed study of Dendrochronology as a science discipline (tree ring dating), and places it in an historical context. Andrew Ellicott Douglass, one of America's premier astronomers, was the founder and early developer of the discipline of dendrochronology. The project seeks to answer several fundamental questions: 1) what was the role of Sequoiadendron giganteum, the Giant Sequoia, in the establishment of dendrochronology? 2) The basis for the choice of Sequoiadendron giganteum as Andrew Ellicott Douglass's second test species is little understood, but there were and are problems employing this plant from a botanical standpoint that could have severely restricted the early development of the field. How Douglass chose to use sequoia represents the second question. 3) Finally, and inextricably linked to the second question, is the question of the choice of organism. Was sequoia the `right organism for the job?` The research will be undertaken in the well-ordered Douglass papers in the University of Arizona Library.