Can a climate record be extracted from giant sequoia tree rings?

Extreme low growth events in giant sequoia ring-width index series coincide with severe droughts in the San Joaquin drainage, on whose eastern flank the sequoia groves stand. Comparison with a network of 102 largely moisture-sensitive tree-ring chronologies from western North America suggests that this relationship has been stable for at least 380 years. The twentieth century is not unusual in the frequency of these events. We expect the growth record will soon be replicated for over 2000 years at two locations.

Synoptic dendroclimatology: a process-based approach for linking tree-ring information to atmospheric circulation over the Pacific and western North America [abstract]

EXTRACT (SEE PDF FOR FULL ABSTRACT): Synoptic dendroclimatology uses dated tree rings to study and reconstruct climate from the viewpoint of the climate's weather components and their relationship to atmospheric circulation. This approach defines a connection between large-scale circulation and ring-width variation at local sites using correlation fields, composite maps, indexing, and other circulation-based methodologies.