The Quantity and Biochemical Composition of Sap Collected from Silver Birch (Betula pendula Roth) Trees Growing in Different Soils

Justas Mingaila,Kęstutis Armolaitis,Vladas Vilimas,Pranas Viškelis,Dovilė Čiuldienė,Edmundas Bartkevičius

doi:10.3390/f11040365

Justas Mingaila, Kęstutis Armolaitis + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/f11040365

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Abstract

Birch sap is colourless or slightly opalescent and is traditionally drunk in spring. Currently, birch sap is becoming more important in the market sector as well as to pharmacy companies due to its biochemical composition and use in a wide variety of products. To extract good quality sap using birch resources in a sustainable way, there is a need to investigate the influence of the dendrometric parameters of birch trees and soil properties on the quantity and chemical composition of birch sap. This study is performed in five silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) forest stands growing in Histosol, Luvisol and Arenosol with different moisture and nutrient contents. The results indicated that the most productive silver birch trees for sap harvesting were taller than 28 m, had a diameter at breast height over 40 cm and a crown base height greater than 19 m. Additionally, the highest quantity of birch sap was harvested from trees growing in well-aerated mineral soils (Arenosol and Luvisol) with normal moisture content. However, the sweetest birch sap was harvested from trees growing in nutrient-rich organic (undrained peatland Histosol) and temporarily flooded mineral (Luvisol) soils.

Highlights

Birch sap is a non-timber forest product that has become more important from an economic and recreational point of view [1]
The mean quantity of birch sap increased with increasing dendrometric parameters, such as tree height (H) and diameter at breast height (DBH) (Figure 3)
73- to 105-year-old silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) stands growing in Histosol, Luvisol and Arenosol soils with different moisture and nutrient content

Summary

Introduction

Birch sap is a non-timber forest product that has become more important from an economic and recreational point of view [1]. Birch sap is a traditional beverage in boreal and hemiboreal regions of the northern hemisphere [2,3,4]. The harvesting of birch sap remains an important activity mostly in Belarus, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia and Ukraine due to the widespread distribution of birch species and the incorporation of sap into the former Soviet economic system [1]. Birch sap is becoming more important in the market sector as well as to pharmacy companies of the European Union. Birch sap is used to manufacture health products, such as birch sap drinks flavoured with fruits, birch syrup and cosmetics for skin and hair.

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