Identifying heartwood-rich stands or stems of Pinus sylvestris by using inventory data

Abstract

Variations in heartwood percentage, heartwood radius and sapwood width, within and between stands of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), were analysed using a database of 198 CT-scanned (computer tomography) stems from 33 research plots (stands) throughout Sweden. Heartwood percentage varied greatly both between individual trees and between stands, and correlated poorly to site, stand and tree variables. This implies that it seems unfeasible to identify heartwood-rich stands or stems, e.g., for production of heartwood products, by using inventory data. Heartwood formation expressed as the number of new heartwood rings formed each year was found to increase with increasing cambial age, from about 0.5 rings per year at a cambial age of 45 years, to about 0.8 rings per year at a cambial age of 115 years.