Dendrochronology facility

The technical facility of DendroChronology is dedicated to the study of tree growth rings. Although the fields of dendrochronology are very vast, the projects carried out at the Institut des Sciences de l’Evolution de Montpellier (ISEM) focus mainly on dendro-ecology (study and dating of disturbances, fires, anthropic impact, etc.), dendro-archaeology (dating of historical buildings), and anthraco-chronology (chronologies established on charcoal found in archaeological contexts). The platform is divided into two rooms, the first “Preparation Room” is equipped with machine tools for cutting, sanding and polishing the samples in order to make the ring boundaries as legible as possible. The second “Measurement Room” is equipped with three measuring stations. Depending on the type of sample and the objectives of the studies, the measurements and analyses can be carried out by means of Lintab 5/6 © measuring benches or in a digital imaging way thanks to two high-resolution scanners.