Dendrogeomorphological potential of Pinus ponderosa Douglas ex C. Lawson for the reconstruction of flash floods in Los Picos de Davis, Coahuila

Introduction: Geomorphological processes, such as flash floods, affect the natural growth of trees. From the dating of disturbances in growth rings, historical events useful for the prevention and mitigation of natural hazards were reconstructed. Objectives: To determine the dendrogeomorphological potential of Pinus ponderosa Douglas ex C. Lawson to date and reconstruct flash floods in Los Picos de Davis, Coahuila. Materials and methods: Samples were collected from 19 dead and living trees with evidence of disturbance (impact scars, growth suppression and compression wood). The samples were prepared, dated and analyzed based on dendrogeomorphological techniques. The reconstructed flash floods were related to historical climate information from hurricanes, tropical cyclones and precipitation. Results and discussion: We were able to date 68 % of the samples with evidence of disturbance; the correlation between growth series was significant (r = 0.403; P < 0.001). The most common anomalies were in the form of scars (72 %), growth suppression (20 %) and compression wood (8 %). Ten flash floods were reconstructed. The causative processes were flash floods, caused by extreme hydrometeorological phenomena, including hurricanes “Alex” in 2010, “Dolly” in 2008 and “Claudette” in 2003. There is synchrony between geomorphological processes and hydrometeorological phenomena. Conclusions: P. ponderosa ring disturbances are useful to reconstruct the frequency and distribution of geomorphological processes.