PHYTOMASS DISTRIBUTION AND CONTENT OF NITROGEN AND CARBON IN NEEDLES OF SCOTS PINE IN THE MIDDLE TAIGA IN THE REPUBLIC OF KARELIA

E. V. Novichonok^*, N. A. Galibina, K. M. Nikerova

 

Institute of Forest KarRC RAS

Pushkinskaya st. 11, Petrozavodsk, Republic of Karelia, 185910, Russia

*E-mail: enovichonok@inbox.ru

Received: 24.09.2024

Revised: 17.02.2025

Accepted: 14.03.2025

Monitoring the biomass and productivity of woody plants is one of the highest priorities in forest ecology due to their role in the global carbon balance. We evaluated annual needle production, distribution of needle biomass by age, and nitrogen and carbon content in needles of Pinus sylvestris trees growing in pine stands of different ages and in different forest conditions. The highest values of annual needle production of the dominant element were observed in 180-190-year-old bilberry pine forests on sandy and sandy loam podzols. The dominant element in clearcuts had a significantly lower annual production, amounting to 11.5%, compared to 40-50-, 80-100-, and 180-190-year-old stands. The proportion of needle biomass of different ages in total needle biomass per tree differed between young trees on clearcuts (up to 10 years old) and trees of greater age (40-50-, 80-100- and 180-190-year-old trees). In young trees at the clearcut, almost 90% of the needle mass comes from annual and current-year needles, whereas in older trees, it’s around 50%. These data should be considered when building models of gas exchange and carbon fluxes in stands of different ages due to the dependence of photosynthesis rate on the age of needles. The carbon content of needles increased with increasing tree age. The discussion focuses on the significance of accurately estimating carbon content in biomass to improve the estimation of carbon stocks in phytocenosis.

 

Кeywords: Scots pine, nitrogen, carbon, needle biomass fraction, forest conditions, pine forests of different ages

 

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