Spruce Chronology from Mt Pilsko Area. (Żywiec Beskid Range) 1641-1995 AD.

Timber of spruce, a species widely spread in Europe and Asia, has been a basis of several regional dendrochronological standards. However, in Poland there is no long spruce standard of regional extent. The research underaken at Dendrochronological Laboratory, University of Mining and Metallurgy in Cracow, is the first step towards the elaboration of such a scale for the area of southern Poland. The 5BESIA chronology presented here, has been constructed for the Mt Pilsko area in Żywiec Beskid Range (S Poland) on the basis of 50 best correlated samples of contemporary, long-living spruces. Teleconnection of dendrochronological signal from Pilsko has been checked with available spruce chronologies from southern Poland, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Italy, Switzerland, France and Lithuania. The highest correlation may be observed between the 5BESIA and the German (t=5.68), Swiss (t=4.47) and Austrian (t=4.15) standards. There is no corelation with other European standards, what demonstrates unequal distribution pattern of dendrochronological signal for the spruce. The strongest signal has been noted for areas to the West and Southwest. The observed relationships can be helpful in construction and checking of the correctness of older spruce sequences and elongation of the 5BESIA chronology.