Malcolm Cleaveland believes that baldcyprus trees are full of surprises, surprises that are recorded in their rings.
With the help of tree core samples from around Central Texas, scientist hope to chart rainfall patterns that stretch back into the 1500s.
"These trees have a living record of the drought pattern," the Guadalupe Blanco River Authority's Todd Votteler said.
People have been recording weather data here since the late 1800s. Even back then, some of these trees were already 200 to 300 years old.
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Drought
News 8's Russell Wilde shows us how scientists are turning to trees to answer their long term drought questions.
 
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"You know the drought of the 50s is not really exceptional, in the past there have been worse droughts" Cleaveland said.
The tree expert said the rings indicate the region experienced a mega-drought in the late 1500s.
"In northern Mexico they had essentially 41 years of unbroken drought," he said.
Water planners use the 1950s drought as a gauge to insure water supplies meet demand. The rings of these trees should show how that drought compares with dry periods before Texas was settled.
"We think this study is really going to tell us whether the 50s drought is the right standard to use," Votteler said.
For Votteler and Cleaveland, this area of research gives water planners a glimpse into the past, so they can insure that the area's water supply meets the demands of the future.
