What is Dendrochronology?

For decades, some evolutionary scientists have used dendrochronology to discredit the biblical account of human origins. The majority of creationist scientists, on the other hand, have been very critical of this discipline. Over the past two years, I have presented my work on biblical chronology using dendrochronology. In this article, I would like to explain this science as clearly as possible, while presenting the current state of knowledge.

The views expressed in this article reflect those of the author, and not necessarily those of New Creation.

A Method for Dating to Within a Year

Dendrochronology is a scientific method developed in the early 20th century by an American astronomer named A.E. Douglass. It allows certain wooden objects to be dated with exceptional accuracy.

Depending on climatic conditions, trees of the same species and from the same region tend to grow in a similar way. When the climate is favorable, trees produce wide growth rings, while in an unfavorable climate, the rings are narrower.

By analyzing these rings of varying sizes, it is possible to link trees that lived at the same time. The dendrochronologist’s work consists first of taking wood samples from a given region, then establishing reference curves. By collecting samples from trees that grew at different times, he can, in a sense, reconstruct the climatic and chronological history of these trees (fig. 1).

Dendrochronology can be used to date all kinds of wooden objects: roof frames, musical instruments, works of art, boats, and even piles from prehistoric villages.^1,2

If the sample still has its bark, it is even possible to determine the exact year the tree was felled.

However, the method also has its limitations, as it cannot accurately date samples from trees whose species have not been studied previously.  

To date, 17 major dendrochronology studies covering several millennia have been published worldwide:³

• 11 are based on dry wood from high altitudes,
• 6 on wood preserved in wet environments (peat bogs, gravel pits, lake beds).

The longest dendrochronology in the world spans 12,460 years. It was established using oak and pine wood from river deposits collected in gravel pits across Germany.⁴

The longest dendrochronology in the southern hemisphere is the Patagonian cypress chronology in Chile, which dates back more than 5,680 years. The oldest samples have been preserved in volcanic ash.⁵

Dendrochronology and Carbon-14 Dating

Dendrochronology and radiocarbon (14C) dating are closely related. Carbon-14, a radioactive isotope produced in the upper atmosphere by cosmic rays, is absorbed by plants and then by the animals that consume them. When an organism dies, the amount of 14C it contains gradually decreases. By measuring this decrease, it is possible to estimate the age of a sample.

However, the atmospheric concentration of carbon-14 is not constant: it varies from year to year. To correct for these variations, researchers rely on dendrochronology, as the age of tree growth rings is precisely known. This calibration has significantly improved the accuracy of archaeological dating.

However, the fact that dendrochronology is a very reliable dating method does not guarantee that all carbon-14 dating is automatically accurate.

The Miyake Events 

The Miyake events correspond to violent cosmic storms that caused a sharp increase in carbon-14, an increase that can be seen today in tree growth rings. They were first identified in 2012 by Japanese researcher Fusa Miyake.⁶

Five events have been identified: those of 7176, 5259, and 660 BC, as well as those of 774 and 993 AD. Their simultaneous detection in dendrochronological series from various regions of the world reinforces the reliability of the method and shows that different laboratories have arrived at the same results without error.

Millimeter-Accurate Dating for Human History

Some of these dendrochronologies have made it possible to date numerous pieces of wood that have been shaped by humans. Archaeologists use this science whenever possible to accurately date ancient civilizations. Prehistoric pile-dwelling settlements around the Alpine crescent provide a good example.⁷ In 2018, the remains of an oak well discovered in the Czech Republic (fig. 3)—dated to 5256 BC—revealed the carpentry skills of Neolithic societies. It is the oldest known wooden structure so far, dated solely by dendrochronology.⁸

The Miyake event of 5259 BC made it possible to establish a “floating” chronology and accurately date a Neolithic house built in 5320 BC on the shores of Lake Kastoria in Greece. To date, it is the oldest wooden structure to have been absolutely dated.⁹

The Debate with Young-Age Creationists 

Most young Earth creationists question the reliability of this discipline because it contradicts their interpretation of the biblical account, according to which the Earth is approximately 6,000 years old.

To support their argument, they cite anomalies such as the formation of multiple growth rings in a single year.

However, these phenomena are well known: they are identified and corrected by correlating tree series with each other. Their frequency depends on many factors that are now better understood, such as tree species and age, climatic conditions, geographical location, etc.¹⁰

An analogy with genetics helps to clarify this point: it has only been possible to sequence the DNA of ancient human remains for a few decades. This process can be disrupted by the unintentional contamination of the sample with the laboratory technician’s DNA. This is a well-known phenomenon, and laboratories have protocols in place to prevent or correct it. It would therefore be absurd to conclude that genetics is unreliable simply because such contamination exists.

Similarly, rejecting dendrochronology on the basis of double growth rings is not a serious scientific approach.

Conclusion

The data presented here show that dendrochronology is a robust method capable of providing accurate and consistent chronological markers across the globe. For believers committed to the authority of Scripture, these results should not be seen as challenging the faith, but as an invitation to deepen our understanding of the history of creation.

It is possible that certain phenomena related to ancient climate or the flood—whether global or regional—may have profoundly influenced tree growth and preservation. It is also possible that our reading of certain biblical passages or genealogies needs to be refined. In any case, the study of creation and the study of God’s Word are not opposed: both come from the same Author.

The goal, therefore, is not to choose between science and the Bible, but to let each field inspire us to seek the truth with humility. Dendrochronology, properly understood, can be a useful tool for better understanding how God has acted in the history of the world, without ever diminishing the significance of the biblical account.

Footnotes

1. (Hafner et Suter, 2000) Die Entwicklung der Bauerngesellschaften im 4. Jahrtausend v.Chr. am Bielersee aufgrund der Rettungsgrabungen von Nidau und Sutz-Lattrigen. ↩︎
2. (Viellet, 2009) Apport des études dendrochronologiques à la connaissance des sites lacustres néolithiques de Chalain et Clairvaux (Jura). ↩︎
3. (Bebchuk et al, 2023) Sudden disappearance of yew (Taxus baccata) woodlands from eastern England coincides with a possible climate event around 4.2 ka ago. ↩︎
4. (Friedrich et al., 2004) The 12,460-year Hohenheim oak and pine tree-ring chronology from Central Europe; A unique annual record for radiocarbon calibration and paleoenvironment reconstructions. ↩︎
5. (Lara et al, 2020) A 5680-year tree-ring temperature record for southern South America. ↩︎
6. (Miyake et al., 2012) A signature of cosmic-ray increase in AD 774–775 from tree rings in Japan. ↩︎
7. (Billamboz, A., 2014) Regional patterns of settlement and woodland developments: dendroarchaeology in the Neolithic pile-dwellings on Lake Constance (Germany). ↩︎
8. (Rybníček et al., 2018) World’s oldest dendrochronologically dated archaeological wood construction. ↩︎
9. (Maczkowski et al., 2024) Absolute dating of the European Neolithic using the 5259 BC rapid 14C excursion. ↩︎
10. (Battipaglia et al., 2023) Intra-annual density fluctuations in tree rings are proxies of air temperature across Europe. ↩︎