The inquiry is not asking for the data used in the paper (which is available), they are asking for the data that we did not use. We have received several requests of this sort and I guess it is time to provide a full explanation of our operating system to try to bring the question to closure.

Speaking for myself and immediate colleagues who have been involved with my research: Most of our research has been mission-oriented, dendroclimatic research. That means to find climatically-sensitive, old-aged trees and sample them in order to extend the quantitative record of climatic variations. Also, to relate these records to the real world and investigate the climate system and its functioning. The first part produces absolutely-dated time series of tree-ring variations. We try to sample trees at sites where there is likely to be a strong climatic signal, usually temperature or precipitation. Sometimes we are successful, sometimes we are not. We compare the tree-ring series to climate records to test what the climate signal is. We sample latitudinal treeline and elevational treeline looking for temperature-sensitive trees with both a high-frequency and low-frequency response to temperature. A high-frequency temperature response to summer is most frequently found at these extreme locations. However, trees have much more information if one finds trees with a good communal high and low frequency variations that correspond or correlate to local or regional temperatures for longer seasons. There is abundant information to explain the physiological processes in cooler seasons and why trees can respond to more than just summer season. The sampling and development of a tree-ring chronology is an investment of research energy, time, and money. The best efforts in site selection and sampling do not always produce a good chronology. It is only as the samples are processed and analyzed that the quality, or lack thereof becomes evident. First is the dating: this is enabled by high-frequency common variation among the trees. The dating is achieved and tested by various methods. Then the chronology is developed from the correctly dated ring-width measurements and evaluated. Testing: Is there a common low-frequency signal among the trees? At a good temperature- sensitive site with good trees, there is.  We conduct common period analyses of the low- frequency variation within the cores samples from a site. Sometimes, even with our best efforts in the field, there may not be a common low-frequency variation among the cores or trees at a site. This result would mean that the trees are influenced by other factors that interfere with the climate response. There can be fire, insect infestation, wind, or ice storm etc. that disturb the trees. Or there can be ecological factors that influence growth. We try to avoid the problems but sometimes cannot and it is in data processing that the non-climatic disturbances are revealed. We strive to develop and use the best data possible. The criteria are good common low and high-frequency variation, absence of evidence of disturbance (either observed at the site or in the data), and correspondence or correlation with local or regional temperature. If a chronology does not satisfy these criteria, we do not use it. The quality can be evaluated at various steps in the development process. As we are mission oriented, we do not waste time on further analyses if it is apparent that the resulting chronology would be of inferior quality. If we get a good climatic story from a chronology, we write a paper using it. That is our funded mission. It does not make sense to expend efforts on marginal or poor data and it is a waste of funding agency and taxpayer dollars. The rejected data are set aside and not archived. As we progress through the years from one computer medium to another, the unused data may be neglected. Some [researchers] feel that if you gather enough data and n approaches infinity, all noise will cancel out and a true signal will come through. That is not true. I maintain that one should not add data without signal. It only increases error bars and obscures signal. As an ex- marine I refer to the concept of a few good men. A lesser amount of good data is better without a copious amount of poor data stirred in. Those who feel that somewhere we have the dead sea scrolls or an apocrypha of good dendroclimatic data that they can discover are doomed to disappointment. There is none. Fifteen years is not a delay. It is a time for poorer quality data to be neglected and not archived. Fortunately our improved skills and experience have brought us to a better recent record than the 10 out of 36. I firmly believe we serve funding agencies and taxpayers better by concentrating on analyses and archiving of good data rather than preservation of poor data.

I guess I won't be getting the data. It would be my position that, if they picked 10 of 36 sites, they used all 36 sites in their study. Imagine this argument in the hands of a drug trial. Let's suppose that they studied 36 patients and picked the patients with the 10 best responses, and then refused to produce data on the other 26 patients on the grounds that they didn't discuss these other patients in their study. It's too ridiculous.