The term dendrology is made up of the Greek word dendrón, which is equivalent to tree in Greek, and the word logy, which means science or knowledge. It is an integrated discipline within botany.
It focuses on the identification of tree species, especially woody plants. In this area of knowledge, the morphological characteristics of trees are studied, which includes stems, leaves or bark. It must be borne in mind that trees present an immense range of shapes and sizes as a consequence of the great diversity of species.
Do not confuse dendrology with taxonomy
Dendrology studies are responsible for identifying plants in their various structures. In this sense, it can be affirmed that it is a complementary tool of botany. Instead, taxonomy is limited to the classification of plants in their diversity. Despite being two different areas, both allow ordering the set of plant species with scientific criteria.
Main objectives as a subject of study
The first objective of this area of botany is to establish a nomenclature for trees, both their common and scientific names. And all this following the rules and principles established in botany.
Second, dendrology identifies each tree within its corresponding botanical family.
On the other hand, the type of relationship between each tree species with the different ecosystems is established.
Knowledge about dendrology provides very useful information for the timber sector
Wood is a material with multiple uses, since it serves as fuel, for the furniture industry or for the manufacture of paper. In this sense, it is important to establish a correct classification of the different types of wood, to know the drying phases and their different properties.
Dendrochronology is a section of dendrology and focuses on the study of tree trunk rings.
The trunks of the trees present a series of circular rings. The more rings a tree has, the older it is. By observing these structures it is possible to know how each tree species has evolved over time, their diseases or climatic conditions.
The study of dendrochronology provides information about the past, especially about the evolution of the climate (temperature variations, wind speed and other aspects of the weather that affect the development of trees).
Photos: Fotolia–Robert/Masson
Following