Elemental composition of different types of wood

Abstract For the use of wood as an environmental sensor the average or normal elemental composition of wood has to be known (here with Z > 12). Since we find with PIXE that the elemental composition depends on the species, environmental influences can only be deduced indirectly from deviations from average elemental concentrations, which have to be known for each examined species. The average elemental composition was calculated from the concentrations of more than 10 samples from almost as many sites for beech and oak. Other species were also analysed but not from more than three different sites. Significant correlations between certain elemental concentrations were found (in particular between Ca and Mn), also studied was the influence of the growing site on the elemental concentrations.