Incremental coring of trees is the key method used in non-destructive dendrochronological sampling. Despite the advances in developing such methods, the sampling of large, high-density trees still poses a challenge in remote tropical forests. Manually operated incremental drills, while easy to transport across difficult terrain, limit sample size and can often get damaged in the sampling process, especially when trees have wood densities above 0.8 g/cm³. Here, we discuss the existing available alternatives and present an up-to-date incremental coring system composed of a borer coupled to a hand-held drilling machine and a support attached to the tree which can collect incremental cores of 1.5 mm in diameter and over 1.0 m in length. The support ensures stability for the drill throughout the sampling process. This system is relatively lightweight and portable, offering field flexibility and suitability for sampling in remote locations. It provides a core sample of an appropriate diameter and amount for carrying out ring-width measurements, stable isotope and radiocarbon analyses on some of the large, older trees which are now being found in the tropics. We expect that this methodology will broaden the possibilities in the now-blossoming sub-field of tropical dendrochronology.

树木的增量取芯是用于无损树木年代学采样的关键方法。尽管在开发此类方法方面取得了进展，但在偏远的热带森林中对大而高密度的树木进行采样仍然是一个挑战。手动操作的增量钻机虽然易于在困难地形上运输，但限制了样本大小，并且经常会在采样过程中损坏，尤其是当树木的木材密度高于 0.8 g/cm³ 时。在这里，我们讨论了现有的可用替代方案，并提出了一种最新的增量取芯系统，该系统由连接到手持式钻孔机的钻孔机和连接到采油树的支架组成，该支架可以收集直径 1.5 毫米及以上的增量取芯1.0 m 长。支撑确保钻头在整个采样过程中的稳定性。该系统相对较轻且便于携带，具有现场灵活性和适用性，适用于偏远地区的采样。它提供了一个具有适当直径和数量的核心样本，用于对现在在热带地区发现的一些大的、较老的树木进行环宽测量、稳定同位素和放射性碳分析。我们预计这种方法将拓宽现在蓬勃发展的热带树木年代学子领域的可能性。