Estimation of Basic Wood Density and its Uncertainty for Quercus Species in South Korea

Abstract

Basic wood density is recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as one of the parameters that can accurately estimate carbon stocks of trees. This study was conducted to estimate the basic wood density of Quercus acutissima, Quercus mongolica, Quercus serrata, and Quercus variabilis in South Korea and to determine their uncertainty. Water displacement method was used to determine the fresh volume of the cubic specimen without bark while the oven-dry weight was determined through oven-drying with a temperature of 85°C until it reached the constant weight. The basic wood density and uncertainty were 0.695 g cm-3 and 2.59% for Q. acutissima, 0.663 g cm-3 and 3.33% for Q. mongolica, 0.664 g cm-3 and 6.60% for Q. serrata and 0.721 g cm-3 and 1.66% for Q. variabilis, respectively. Analysis of variance showed that there is a significant difference in terms of the basic wood density of the four Quercus species (p<0.001). The results of this study on the basic wood density and uncertainty of the different Quercus species are essential in providing accurate information for estimating the biomass of Quercus forests.