Chemical composition of wood and its connection with wood anatomy in Betula pubescens

The connection between chemical composition and anatomy of wood is poorly studied. Abiotic and biotic growth conditions affect the synthesis of structural compounds and the anatomy of wood at the same time as they affect growth. In this study, the wood chemical composition, and connections between wood chemistry and anatomy were studied in downy birch (Betula pubescens Ehrh.) grown on four growth sites possessing mineral and peat soils. Lignin, holocellulose, extractive and ash contents, and effective heating value were analysed and compared with libriform fibre double wall thickness and lumen diameter, vessel size and number, and ray and axial parenchyma numbers. Measured lignin and extractive contents were exceptionally high and holocellulose content low. Correlations between wood anatomy and effective heating value were partly different on different soils. Correlations between holocellulose and anatomy were the opposite of the correlations between other chemical compounds and anatomy. The significant correlations between chemical composition and anatomy were commonly opposite in trees grown on peat than in trees grown on mineral soil. Particularly, vessel characteristics and fibre wall thickness correlated significantly with wood chemistry in trees grown on mineral soil. The connections between wood anatomy and chemistry proved to be soil-dependent.