Unlocking the potential of pollarded oaks: a 375-year hydroclimate reconstruction from northcentral Spain

Sanmiguel-Vallelado, Alba; Torbenson, Max C. A.; Esper, Jan; Sangüesa-Barreda, Gabriel; Prado-López, Carlos; Olano, José Miguel

doi:10.5194/bg-23-4287-2026

Articles | Volume 23, issue 12

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-4287-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-4287-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 23, issue 12

Research article

|

29 Jun 2026

Research article |

| 29 Jun 2026

Unlocking the potential of pollarded oaks: a 375-year hydroclimate reconstruction from northcentral Spain

Alba Sanmiguel-Vallelado, Max C. A. Torbenson, Jan Esper, Gabriel Sangüesa-Barreda, Carlos Prado-López, and José Miguel Olano

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-4287-2026-supplement

Data sets

LWI chronology and November–June precipitation reconstruction for “Unlocking the Potential of Pollarded Oaks: A 375-Year Hydroclimate Reconstruction from North-Central Spain” Alba Sanmiguel-Vallelado et al. https://doi.org/10.71569/b9cw-c103

Climate data: annual November–June precipitation for “Unlocking the Potential of Pollarded Oaks: A 375-Year Hydroclimate Reconstruction from North-Central Spain” Alba Sanmiguel-Vallelado et al. https://doi.org/10.71569/pznw-9644

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Short summary

We studied centuries-old, traditionally pollarded oak trees in Spanish open woodlands to see if they record past rainfall. By analyzing tree rings from 102 trees, we reconstructed 375 years of precipitation. The trees captured long wet and dry periods, including extreme droughts in historical records, providing reliable, high-resolution climate information for the previously overlooked Mediterranean lowlands.