TFG Events & Workshops

Michael Cuba

Transom Historic Preservation Consulting

Dendrochronology & Documentation
Dendrochronology is an effective tool for helping historians and homeowners determine the construction dates of historic structures. Timber-framed buildings are often great candidates for the application of this science. This session will examine the science of dendrochronology and new emerging methods currently being developed in Europe. While the accuracy of this science is impressive in the results that it can offer when dating timber samples, the interpretation of those results can be nuanced and often relies on additional research of physical and documentary evidence. Methodologies and documentation standards can vary from one laboratory to another. We will examine some of the differences in these practices to help attendees identify laboratories that can best meet their needs based on the styles of reporting used to convey results.

This session will help attendees to identify what makes a structure a potential candidate for the application of analysis through dendrochronology including how to identify and select the best sample sites. Using case studies, we will explore several scenarios of successful testing and their subsequent interpretation using physical and documentary evidence. While dendrochronology can accurately identify the felling dates of timbers used in construction, this doesn’t always tell the whole story. In many cases, documentary evidence for a given structure can be vast, overwhelming, and difficult to navigate. Dendrochronology, in conjunction with good research habits, can help to identify phases of construction and the evolution of a building over time.

Michael lives in Haycock, Pennsylvania, and operates Transom Historic Preservation Consulting. Michael is active in the Timber Framers Guild as an active member of the Traditional Timber framing Research & Advisory Group and as editor of TIMBER FRAMING, the Guild's quarterly journal. Michael serves on the boards of the National Barn Alliance, the Historic Barn and Farm Foundation of Pennsylvania, the advisory board of Handshouse Studio, and historical societies in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.