Nutritional Content of Scots Pine Inner Bark in Northern Fennoscandia

Nutritional Content of Scots Pine Inner Bark in Northern Fennoscandia. The overall aim of this study was to determine the nutritional benefits of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) inner bark and to position this traditional food resource within the Sami diet. We hypothesized that the nutritional and sugar content of inner bark varied annually, seasonally, with location, and even on a tree-by-tree basis. We concluded that Scots pine inner bark is an energy-rich plant food that, due to its high fibrous content, could sustain energy levels during long-term physical activity. It is also rich in minerals, primarily calcium and potassium. From historical records, we know that inner bark was harvested during early summer and we propose that this mainly depends on raised starch levels in the tree during this season. Scots pine stands and individual trees showed a large variance of soluble sugars during June, which explains the spatial patterns of bark-peeling scars in the landscape. However, nutrients and sugars alone cannot explain this spatial pattern. Rather, it is the result of many factors, such as the migratory pattern (i.e., where people were residing at the time of the inner bark harvest), the weather in a particular year (late or early summer), the availability of other food resources, and logistical reasons including processing of the inner bark.