-Pinene Content in Pine Needles as an Optimal Indicator
of the State of Tree Stands under Technogenic Pollution

I. L. Fuksman

Institute of Forests, Karelian Research Center, Russian Academy of Sciences,
Pushkinskaya ul. 11, Petrozavodsk, 185610 Karelia, Russia

Received March 4, 1998

Abstract—The possibility of using -pinene, the main component of pine essential oils, as an indicator of the
physiological state of tree stands under technogenic pollution was studied. This involved the comparative anal-
ysis of essential oils in pine stands growing in the northwest of the taiga zone, in areas differing in the level of
pollution with sulfur dioxide and heavy metals. The composition of essential oils was studied by means of gas–
liquid chromatography. The results showed that -pinene is an optimal parameter for early diagnosis of the state
of tree stands. It is proposed to use them for elaborating a scale for the indication of stand status according to
-pinene content in the needles.

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