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PurposeUsing local historical data, the purpose of this paper is to compile a chronology of high‐magnitude snow avalanches to illustrate the effectiveness of information published in newspapers in assisting the management of natural hazards.Design/methodology/approachMajor transportation lines parallel the southern boundary of Glacier National Park, Montana, USA, an area where snow avalanches occur frequently and occasionally block transportation corridors. A 1986 study presented an avalanche chronology for the study area based on information collected from the 1946 to 1982 issues of a local weekly newspaper. We extend that existing data set here by using the same newspaper, recording avalanche occurrences and impacts reported in the newspaper from 1982 to 2005.FindingsThe newly updated chronology is presented, with trends and temporal patterns for the entire 1946‐2005 data set analyzed. A decrease in reported avalanches, from the 1960s onward, is noted. Additionally, reported avalanches shifted from occurring most frequently in February to January in the last 20 years.Research limitations/implicationsThe results of this research illustrate the use of newspaper reports as an inexpensive, but effective, way to compile a chronology of high‐magnitude snow avalanches. This research method tends to underreport smaller magnitude events that do not affect the transportation linkages.Practical implicationsSnow avalanche managers could use this method to compile a chronology of events when other, more traditional techniques, are not available or too expensive.Originality/valueThis paper uses a rarely utilized but inexpensive and widely available data source to construct a 59‐year avalanche chronology in an area constantly threatened by snow avalanches.

Landslides are common occurrences in the US West. Some of these events cause injury and even death to visitors to these landscapes. Investigates changes in visitor perceptions of the likelihood and location of landslide events in Glacier National Park, Montana, in the wake of a series of hazardous debris flow occurrences. The initial surveying was completed at the Logan Pass Visitor Center on 17 July 1998 using a specially created survey. On 28 July 1998, a series of debris flows crossed Going‐to‐the‐Sun Road and trapped several cars between flow deposits. The road was blocked for more than 24 hours as debris was cleared. In an attempt to examine perception differences after the slide event visitors were resurveyed at the same location on 30 July 1998. Results from statistical analyses and maps created from the survey revealed no significant changes in public perception of danger to self from landslides, nor in the perceived locations of where landslides may occur.

The initial employment of tree rings in natural hazard studies was simply as a dating tool and rarely exploited other environmental information and records of damage contained within the tree. However, these unique, annually resolved, tree-ring records preserve valuable archives of past earth-surface processes on timescales of decades to centuries. As many of these processes are significant natural hazards, understanding their distribution, timing and controls provides valuable information that can assist in the prediction, mitigation and defence against these hazards and their effects on society. Tree Rings and Natural Hazards provides many illustrations of these themes, demonstrating the application of tree rings to studies of snow avalanches, rockfalls, landslides, floods, earthquakes, wildfires and several other processes. Several of the chapters are "classic studies", others represent recent applications using previously unpublished material. They illustrate the breadth and diverse applications of contemporary dendrogeomorphology and underline the growing potential to expand such studies, possibly leading to the establishment of a range of techniques and approaches that may become standard practice in the analysis of natural hazards in the future.

Mountain plant communities are thought to be sensitive to climate change and, thus, able to reveal its effects sooner than others. The status as sentinels of two plant communities are reviewed. Alpine treeline ecotones and alpine vegetation have been observed to respond to climate change in recent decades. The treeline has moved upslope and alpine communities have had some species increase and others decrease. The response for both, however, has been inconsistent if taken as a whole. Problematic factors for this response are outlined for both: abiotic and biotic interactions partially decouple the plant communities from climate. Differences across spatial and temporal scales complicate interpretation. Partial decoupling leads to nonlinear responses and difficulties for prediction and for planning mitigation. ; Public domain authored by a U.S. government employee