Carbon content of tree tissues: a synthesis

Assessing the potential for forest carbon (C) capture and storage requires accurate assessments of C in live tree tissues. In the vast majority of local, regional, and global assessments, C content has been assumed to be 50% of tree biomass; however, recent studies indicate that this assumption is not accurate, with substantial variation in C content among tree species as well as among tissue types. Here we conduct a comprehensive literature review to present a global synthesis of C content in tissues of live trees. We found a total of 253 species-specific stem wood C content records owing to 31 studies, and an additional 34 records of species with C content values of other tissues in addition to stem wood. Stem wood C content varied significantly as a function of biome (tropical, subtropical/ Mediterranean, temperate/ boreal) and species type (conifer, angiosperm). Conifer species exhibited greater wood C content than angiosperm species (50.8 ± 0.7% (95% C.I.) vs. 47.7 ± 0.3%, respecti...