Carbon content in boles of Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.

Abstract

This study investigated the carbon (C) content in boles of twenty western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) trees. Bole samples were obtained from southern Vancouver Island in British Columbia (Conuma River, south of Muchalat Lake, Apple River, and Harris Creek) from a Western Forest Products Inc. management area, during the summer of 2003. Disks (10 centimeters thick) were obtained from the top of live crown (TLC), the base of live crown (BLC), and at breast height (BH) of each tree. By elemental analysis, C content of 20 genotypes had a mean of ~53.5% (w/w), standard error of the mean [SEM] 0.1). Since the variation in each tree was so small, and the SEM for each of the positions within the bole was 0.1 and 0.2, we conclude that there was only slight variation among genotypes at the 99% level of confidence in the three positions within the bole. Considerable additional research is needed in order to have accurate estimates of total C content in any tree, and given that there is variation in C content within tree species, and in order to account for C in any forest stand, total C content should be estimated by integrating each individual tree component.