Forest Ecosystem Monitoring Cooperative(802) 656-0683femc@uvm.eduwww.uvm.edu/femc705 Spear StreetSouth BurlingtonVermont05403United States of AmericaAppalachian Mountain Club leadComparing performance of low-cost dendrometers to traditional dendrometers in tracking tree growth in a changing climateThe northeastern United States is experiencing some of the greatest shifts in climate in the US, with warming winters, increased frequency of extreme precipitation events, and severe droughts. For instance, annual mean temperatures across the northeast have risen ~1.7 °F since the 1930s. Currently, we are lacking adequate information to connect potential montane tree growth and productivity trends across the broader context of the Northern Appalachian region, which is critical to understand adaptation under future climate scenarios. Broad-scale study of tree growth is limited in feasibility due to the cost-restrictive dendrometer instruments (devices that measure the radial, or outward growth of tree stems) required to reliably measure these characteristics. In this project, we captured variation in tree radial growth as measured by traditional and low-cost dendrometers across climate and edaphic gradients linked to elevation, and between different age classes of trees and tree species within Tuckerman’s Ravine (White Mountain National Forest) in New Hampshire. Our project provided valuable comparative data for the performance of traditional point dendrometers, priced at approximately $400 (Ecomatik, Germany), to the performance of low-cost point dendrometers, priced at approximately $100 (TOMST, Czechia), to determine the accuracy of low-cost dendrometers for the study of tree growth dynamics.Comparing performance of low-cost dendrometers to traditional dendrometers in tracking tree growth in a changing climateTourvilleJordonLinemanBraedonMurray Georgia dendrometerstree growthnorthern forestDendrometer and Site Metadata2023-10-01Basic information for the specific dendrometers at each site used in this study. Note: plot coordinates are not included. Z1817_4026_6Y7SAGVMC.1817.4026mySQL/femc/data/archive/project/comparing-performance-of-low-cost-dendrometers-to-traditional-dendrometers-in-tracking-tree-growth-in-a-changing-climate-/dataset/dendrometer-site-metadatadendro_sitedendro_siteUnique field site nametextdendro_typedendro_typeType of dendrometer used - either Ecomatik or TOMSTtextdownload_1download_1Date of first data downloadtextdownload_2download_2Data of second data downloadtextdownload_3download_3Date of 3rd data downloadtextexperimentexperimentOriginal experiment name for dendrometer: FEMC or related treeline studytexthobo_input_positionhobo_input_positionEcomatik sensor input position on HOBO dataloggerinthobo_snhobo_snSerial number of hobo temperate logger near dendrometer textididUnique id of sensor within each site in studytextinit_diaminit_diamInitial measured diameter of treedecimalS/NS/NSerial number of sensortextsize_classsize_classSize class of tree: small (less than 15 cm dbh), large (more than 15 cm dbh) or krummholz (treeline position)textstart_datestart_dateDate of sensor installationdateM/D/YYYYstart_timestart_timeTime of sensor installation timehh:mmtree_numtree_numTag number of study treetexttree_speciestree_speciesSpecies of study tree: ACSA = sugar maple; ABBA = balsam firtext