Dendro-anatomical Study for Identification of Pine at Korea

Abstract

This study identified Korean red pine (Pinus densiflora) and exotic pines (Pinus resinosa, Pinus sylvestris) with a similar anatomical structure using a dendro-anatomical method that applied dendrochronology, tracheid length, and uniseriate ray cell size. Korean red pine samples were collected from 13 national parks, while exotic pine samples were secured from two wood importers. Tracheid length was measured by distinguishing earlywood from latewood, and uniseriate ray height and cell number were determined. As the exotic pine tree-ring chronology was consistent with the foreign standard tree-ring chronology and displayed high statistical significance, the country and region where the pine samples had been felled and the exact felling date were confirmed. According to the results, which compared tracheid length and uniseriate ray size, no difference was observed between the Korean red and Russian pines. However, the tracheid length of the Russian pines turned out to be slightly longer than the length of the Korean red pine. Additional research securing a larger number of exotic pines (P.resinosa, P.sylvestris) is required to yield more accurate results in the future.