Speaker
Summary
FROM SOIL TO TREE: ELEMENTAL DRIVERS FOR TIMBER TRACEABILITY
Gabriele R. Moreiraa*, Elisabete A. De Nadai Fernandesa, Robson C. de Limaa, Márcio A. Bacchia, Cláudio L. Gonzagaa, Ana Gabriela Volpatoa, Marta S.V. Sccotib
aUniversity of São Paulo, Nuclear Energy Center for Agriculture, Av. Centenário, 303, Piracicaba, SP, 13416000, Brazil
bFederal University of Santa Maria, Department of Forestry Engineering, Rua 7 de Setembro, s/n, BR 386, km 40, Frederico Westphalen, RS, 98400000, Brazil
*gabrielerossini@usp.br
Introduction
Elemental analysis has emerged as a powerful tool to trace wood origin. Since soil composition strongly influences wood chemistry, establishing soil–wood linkages are crucial to identify elemental drivers that can support law enforcement and environmental monitoring in the Amazon biome based on scientific evidence.
Description of the Work
Fifty-six paired samples of wood and soil were collected in the Jamari National Forest (n = 28, Rondônia state) and in the Amapá National Forest (n = 28, Amapá state), both located in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest. The chemical elements Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Eu, Fe, La, Sc, Sm, Ta and Tb were determined in wood and soil samples by triple quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS/MS) and neutron activation analysis (NAA). Although Spearman’s correlation indicated a significant direct relationship only for Ce, canonical correlation analysis (CCA) revealed strong multivariate relationships, mainly driven by Ce, Cs, Eu, La, Sm and Tb (Figure 1).
The first canonical component showed a correlation of 0.887, accounting for 78.7% of the shared variance and was mainly driven by soil Tb, Cs and La, which corresponded to higher levels of La, Eu, Sm and Tb in wood. The second canonical component showed a correlation of 0.729, explaining 53.2% of the shared variance and reflected the influence of Ta, Tb and Ce in soil, with Ce increasing in wood. These results demonstrate that soil–wood relationships are structured by common drivers.
Conclusions
The rare earth elements Ce, Eu, La, Sm and Tb together with Cs in soil and wood are influenced by the same latent factors, so variations in soil composition are reflected in variations in wood despite the absence of direct correlations. These systematic relationships indicate that the most influential elements, being exclusively soil-derived and metabolically inert, make elemental composition a robust and reliable approach for timber traceability and provenance.
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