Energy Stored in Above-Ground Biomass Fractions and Model Trees of the Main Coniferous Woody Plants

Abstract

The paper considers energy stored in above-ground biomass fractions and in model trees of the main coniferous woody plants (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst., Abies alba Mill., Pinus sylvestris (L.), Larix decidua Mill.), sampled in 22 forest stands selected in different parts of Slovakia. A total of 43 trees were felled, of which there were 12 spruces, 11 firs, 10 pines, and 10 larches. Gross and net calorific values were determined in samples of wood, bark, small-wood, twigs, and needles. Our results show that these values significantly depend on the tree species, biomass fractions, and sampling point on the tree. The energy stored in the model trees calculated on the basis of volume production taken from yield tables increases as follows: spruce < fir < pine < larch. Combustion of tree biomass releases an aliquot amount of a greenhouse gas—CO2, as well as an important plant nutrient, nitrogen—into the atmosphere. The obtained data must be taken into account in the case of the economic utilization of energy stored in the fractions of above-ground tree biomass and in whole trees. The achieved data can be used to assess forest ecosystems in terms of the flow of solar energy, its accumulation in the various components of tree biomass, and the risk of biomass combustion in relation to the release of greenhouse gases.