Daivd wrote (inter alia):
> I believe that the point that Martha Goodway was making referred to the
> age of the forests being harvested in the United States into the 19th
> century A.D.. Carbon-14 accumulates during the life span of an organic
> organism and the dating methodology will of necessity, reflect this. You
> are not dating as to when the charcoal was made, but rather when the tree
> had significant levels of C-14 in its early life. This, I believe was the
> point that Martha was making. ....
>
One point that should not be over-looked is the common mis-dating of many
so-called old-growth forests. For instance the North American "great
central forest" found by the 19th C. pioneers was in reality not very old
at all. Many die-backs of species - from fire, ice storms, infestations
etc - sometimes as much as 95% of a species dying out, have occurred
in historical times, decimating forests and replacing them with new ones.
Stephen
Stephen Birkett Fortepianos
Authentic Reproductions of 18th and 19th Century Pianos
464 Winchester Drive
Waterloo, Ontario
Canada N2T 1K5
tel: 519-885-2228
email: [log in to unmask]
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