Assessment of tree-ring analysis of high-elevation Cedrus deodara D. Don from Western Himalaya (India) in relation to climate and glacier fluctuations

A 458-year-long regional tree-ring-width index chronology of Himalayan cedar (Cedrus deodara D. Don) prepared from three high-elevation sites of Western Himalaya has been presented. Dendroclimatological investigation indicates significant positive relationship of tree-ring index series with winter (December–February) temperature and summer precipitation and inverse relationship with summer temperature. Higher growth in the recent few decades detected in the tree-ring chronology has been noticed coinciding with the rapid retreat of the Himalayan glaciers. Suppressed and released growth patterns in tree-ring chronology have also been observed to be well related to the past glacial fluctuation records of the region. The higher tree growth in recent decades may be partially attributed to the warming trend over the region, particularly increasing the winter warmth, and thus to the regional manifestations of global warming.