Determination of the phenolic extractive content in sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) wood
The reason for the excellent natural durability of Sweet chestnut wood can be primarily explained with the extractives incrusted in the wood cell wall. These compounds basically involve tannins, which protect the heartwood against wood decaying microorganisms. Research carried out on the wood of ring-porous broadleaved species revealed that there is a significant radial variation in the concentration of phenolic extractives. The present research focused on the radial distribution of total phenol and ellagitannin content in the heartwood of Sweet chestnut stems, originating from different forest stands. It was also investigated if there was a significant correlation between water supply of the treesand the distribution of phenolic compounds. Total phenol and ellagitannin contents generally increased from juvenile wood towards the sapwood/heartwood boundary, lowest values were determined in sapwood tissues. Respecting water supply it was established that the heartwood of trees growing in a dryer foreststand, contained significantly higher phenolic extractives compared to trees in well water-supplied, fresh forest sites. However, ellagitannin contents didn’t significantly differ between sites. The utilization of the wood of naturally durable European species, including Sweet chestnut, will gain in importance in the future basing on the growing common ecological awareness of the population.