Editorial: Exploring wood structure and tree-ring dynamics in ecological research

Some studies in this collection illustrate how wood anatomical traits capture fine-scale climatic variability across diverse environments.In the eastern Mediterranean, Mdawar et al. provide the first quantitative wood anatomical study of Juniperus excelsa in Lebanon, showing that lumen diameter is tightly linked to May precipitation and temperature. Their results suggest that declining anatomical traits since the 1990s reflect intensifying drought stress, pointing to the potential of this species as a hydroclimate archive in a water-scarce region. At the opposite latitudinal extreme, Buchwal et al. examine "blue rings" in trees and shrubs from the northern treeline of Fennoscandia. These anatomical anomalies, resulting from incomplete lignification under cold conditions, provide intra-annual markers of early-and late-summer cooling events, refining temperature As Topic Editors, we hope this collection not only advances ongoing debates but also inspires future collaborations across disciplines, methodologies, and regions. Wood, in its intricate structure, continues to tell the story of trees and ecosystems; our task as scientists is to refine the ways we read it.