Carbon content in Scots pine wood depends on growth and development conditions and also varies across different sections of the trunk. Identifying this variability enables to establish the phases of tree growth, in which carbon accumulation is the most intensive. The aim of this study was to determine the carbon content of juvenile and mature wood from 103-year-old Scots pine. Tests were performed on samples from 12 model trees selected using the Draudt method. Discs were removed from the model trees at breast height, from which samples were taken for chemical analysis. Totally 48 samples represented annual growth rings 4 and 5 counted from the core (juvenile wood) and growth rings 4 and 5 from the trunk circumference (mature wood). The percentage of carbon contained in the dry matter was measured using a Vario Max CNS (Elementar) analyser. The average carbon content level in the tested wood samples was 47.54 ± 0.47 % dry mass (DM). In juvenile wood, it accounted for 48.15 ± 1.15 % DM compared to 46.94 ± 0.33 % in mature wood. The highest correlation of C content (mean) was dependent on crown volume and amounted to -0.6306.

Keywords: Carbon, juvenile woo,  mature wood, Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.)