If you are eager to learn or deepen your knowledge of diverse tree-ring topics and techniques, or improve your skills in delivering effective scientific presentations, the TRACE 2026 workshops are the place to be! These workshops will help you acquire new skills to advance your research career.

You can register for the workshops when filling out the registration form (see the REGISTRATION FORM & ABSTRACT SUBMISSION section). Simply mark the workshop(s) you are interested in, their dates, list, and descriptions are provided below.

Each workshop is limited to 20 participants, and attendance will follow a first-come, first-served rule. A fee will apply for each workshop (covering coffee breaks). Lunch is not included; participants will go together to the CNR canteen and pay for their own lunch. Workshop fees are detailed in the REGISTRATION FEES section.

Workshop 1, Monday 25th May

Bridging Scales: From tree rings to Ecosystem Models

Miquel De Cáceres Ainsa, CREAF (https://laboratoriforestal.creaf.cat/)

This workshop focuses on linking tree-ring data and process-based ecosystem models to better understand forest dynamics, productivity, and responses to environmental change. Participants will explore methods to scale information from individual trees to ecosystems, integrating dendrochronological records, ecophysiological measurements, and modeling frameworks. Through a combination of presentations, hands-on sessions, and discussions, the workshop aims to foster collaboration between dendrochronologists, modelers, and ecologists working at different scales of observation and analysis.

Workshop 2, Monday 25th May

Tracking Seasonal Growth and Stem Water Status Using Dendrometers

Sugam Aryal, FAU (https://www.geographie.nat.fau.de/person/sugam-aryal/)

Dendrometers are a powerful tool for investigating intra-annual growth dynamics and stem water-related fluctuations in woody plants. This workshop will provide a comprehensive overview of their use for monitoring growth patterns and detecting dehydration in both urban environments and natural ecosystems, addressing instrument-specific considerations and best practices for processing data to distinguish irreversible (plastic) growth from reversible (elastic) responses to environmental variability. Topics include:

  • Types of dendrometers and their characteristics, with a focus on the differences between point and band dendrometers.
  • Measures derived from dendrometer data, emphasizing seasonal growth dynamics (start, end, duration of the growing season) and tree water deficit across multiple time scales.
  • Data processing using dendRoAnalyst, a tool for efficient dendrometer data analysis.

Workshop 3, Tuesday 26th May

Science in Action: Engaging Audiences Through Creative Communication

Chiara Anzolini, UNIPD (https://www.biologia.unipd.it/people/?tx_wfqbe_pi1%5Baccount%5D=chiara-anzolini)

This interactive workshop is designed to equip participants with effective strategies for communicating complex scientific concepts to diverse audiences. Drawing on a combination of research experience and science communication training, the workshop explores how to transform technical or specialized knowledge into clear, engaging messages that resonate beyond the scientific community. Participants will learn to leverage storytelling, visual tools, and digital media to capture public interest and design communication campaigns tailored to a variety of audiences, from schools to policymakers. The workshop also emphasizes the evaluation of outreach activities to ensure their impact and effectiveness. Through hands-on exercises, group discussions, and real-world examples, attendees will gain practical skills to connect research with society, making scientific knowledge accessible, relevant, and inspiring.

Workshop 4 (one-day), Tuesday 26th May

DendroTools (R) for Analysing Climate Signals in Tree Rings: From Beginner to Expert

Jernej Jevšenak, SFI (https://www.gozdis.si/en/Department-for-Forest-and-Landscape-Planning-and-Monitoring-contacts/Jernej-Jevsenak/)

In the morning session, participants will be introduced to the dendroTools R package. After a brief overview of the theoretical background, most of the time will be devoted to hands-on exercises. The focus will be on analysing climate–growth relationships using daily and monthly climate data, assessing temporal stability, and comparing tree-ring characteristics during extreme years. The afternoon session will introduce more advanced and complex methodological approaches, which include detrending climate series, partial correlation coefficients, the analysis of legacy effects, and drought indices. Overall, this dendroTools workshop will equip participants with the skills and understanding necessary to comprehensively assess the climate sensitivity of tree growth.