Georgia pine trees harbor a record of every hurricane to hit the area in the past century, a new study found.

Further research across the Southeast uncovered a hurricane record stretching back more than two centuries. Even a storm from 1780 was revealed in the wood.

Researchers hope to apply their arboreal archeology to a broader geographic region, and to older trees, to investigate storm frequency over the past 550 years.

Since reliable accounts of historical hurricanes extend back only a century or so, the new technique could be a boon to climate researchers who wonder if global warming is altering the frequency of deadly tropical storms.