•
•
•
•
•
Facilities

Dendroecology Laboratory Facilities

The Minnesota Dendroecology Laboratory facilities, as part of the Geography Department, are housed in Blegen Hall (Room 460) and the Social Sciences Tower (Rooms 101 and 569) on the West Bank of the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities campus. These rooms are fully equipped for tree-ring analysis, with resources including: 8 stereo-zoom microscopes, one imaging system interfaced with a Leica S6E scope and Adobe Photoshop CS, five newly purchased desktop computers, three of which are interfaced with Velmex measuring systems and all of which are loaded with a suite of design, statistical, and graphical software including: ArcGIS, MatLab, Grapher, SigmaPlot, Systat, CorelDraw, the Adobe Creative Suite, and Microsoft Office. Comprehensive computer support is provided by the College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota.

The Minnesota Dendroecology Laboratory has a full suite of tree-ring sampling equipment including: 15+ increment borers of a variety of sizes, several 50 m and 100 m tapes, diameter tapes, compasses, handheld global positioning systems, field notebooks, markers, pens, pencils, backcountry camping equipment, two crosscut saws, and a chainsaw with safety equipment. We also have several Duluth packs and an insulated food pack with which to lug this equipment into the wilderness (except the chainsaw, of course).
 
Research Vessel

The Minnesota Dendroecology Laboratory is in the rare and fortunate position of owning its own research vessel - a gel-coated, 18' kevlar We•no•nah Champlain canoe named Woodshop I. Woodshop has seen several voyages into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, braved many an angry sea, and has returned with only a few scars to show for it.

We also have a full complement of paddles, paddling life jackets, and very cushy backrests for the canoe seats (only used by some in the lab).

 
Sample Preparation and Archive Room

In addition to our primary research facilities, we have a room that serves as a teaching, sample preparation, and archive space in room 652 of the Rarig Art Center. This room is equipped with an ample amount of counter space for sample preparation and interactive laboratory instruction, a new Leica stereo-zoom microscope, industrial shelving to organize and store our samples when not actively being examined, and a fire-proof cabinet to store our chainsaw equipment and other flamible materials.

 
Regis Center for Arts

The University of Minnesota Department of Art, housed in the Regis Center for Arts located in the West Bank Arts Quarter, is only 70 meters from our lab and has graciously allowed us unfettered access to their facilities and expertise in wood processing. The Regis Center, constructed in 2003, is one of the premier art facilities in the nation with 155,000 square foot state-of-the-art work space that includes a fully equipped and professionally maintained wood shop, metal shop, and saw mill. The personnel of the Center have provided us with access to any and all possible tools or services that may be required while preparing samples and display pieces, provide safety training on all equipment available, and are an invaluable resource in the ever-so-critical process of sample preparation.