To know the meaning of the term dendrology, it is necessary, first of all, to discover its etymological origin. In this case we can state that it is a word that derives from Greek, specifically it is the result of the sum of two differentiated parts:
-The noun “dendron”, which can be translated as “tree”.
-The term “logia”, which is equivalent to “word” or “speech”.
The concept of dendrology is not part of the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ). However, dendrography does appear: the discipline that is responsible for describing trees .
You should also know that the term as such was created in the 17th century. It was exactly in 1668 when the Italian naturalist Ulisse Aldrovandi gave it shape, publishing a work under the title precisely “Dendrology”. This is a book where I came to establish a list of the names of trees, their use, synonyms of those names, proverbs, curiosities...
Dendrology and dendrography are terms that are used synonymously. It is a specialty of botany dedicated to the analysis of woody plants , especially those that are relevant to the economy .
Dendrology, therefore, studies the characteristics of the wood, the type of growth of the trunk, the anatomy of the specimens, etc. By describing the trunks, leaves, fruits and flowers, it allows the identification of different species and the creation of groups according to characteristics.
Thanks to dendrology, it is possible to obtain multiple knowledge of tree species. That is why it is a very important discipline in the development of forestry activities .
Specifically, although we can establish that it is a fundamental branch for what forest sciences are, we cannot ignore that it is also very useful for any other activity that is related to the biological and agricultural field, for example, as well as with others. levels that have a certain affinity with those.
For a professional in forest sciences , knowing the anatomical, ecological and morphological characteristics of trees is essential. The application of dendrology knowledge is necessary for the development of different productive activities. A dendrological survey, for example, can favor a distinction of the species that are useful or desirable in an environment, facilitating forest management.
It should be noted that a specialization of dendrology is dendrochronology . In this case, it is about investigating the history of a tree from its growth rings. Dendrochronology focuses on the growth patterns of these rings to generate data on physical, biological and even cultural processes.
Other interesting facts about dendrochronology are that, for example, it conceives tree rings as environmental archives and also that it is not necessary to fell or cut trees in order to study their rings. Fortunately, there are several types of special drills that are used to obtain what are small portions of these rings without causing them any type of damage.