Reconstructed tupelo-honey yield in northwest Florida inferred from Nyssa Ogeche tree-ring data: 1850–2009

Tupelo honey is derived from the nectar of Ogeechee tupelo (Nyssa ogeche) trees growing in northwest Florida and southern Georgia. Here we use N. ogeche tree rings to reconstruct honey yield to place the current decline since the mid-1980s in a historical context and identify the climatic and hydrologic conditions conducive to optimal honey yields. We sampled two sites on the banks of the Apalachicola River using standard dendrochronological methods and developed a master chronology from 1850 to 2009. A two-staged process was used for the reconstruction of honey yield and we used Monte Carlo analysis to examine the natural range of variability. The reconstruction passed all validation tests and extended the honey record 140 years. We found that the current decline is severe, containing the two lowest-yield years (1997 and 2007) of the extended record. However, a longer duration low-yield period occurred from 1877 to 1898. The relationship between N. ogeche radial growth and July river flow has shifted suggesting that environmental changes may be responsible for the decline in tupelo honey yield. Our results demonstrate the utility of employing tree-rings to extend crop records to allow a broader understanding of yield variations inherent in agriculture.