全 文 ：第 22 卷　第 2 期　　　　　　　　　　　　　植　　　物　　　研　　　究 2002年　4 月
Vol.22　No.2　　　　　　　　　　　BULLETIN OF BOTANICAL RESEARCH Apr., 　2002
中国白桦资源的工业利用与生态经营
张学科　杨逢建　于景华　石福臣
(东北林业大学森林植物生态学教育部重点实验室 , 哈尔滨　150040)
摘　要　白桦是一个北温带的广布种 , 主要分布在温带亚洲的日本 、 朝鲜 、 俄罗斯和中国 。白
桦在我国分布于东北的大 、小兴安岭和长白山 , 华北的燕山 、 太行山 , 西北的秦岭 、 天山 、 阿
尔泰山 , 西南的横断山脉 、青藏高原。白桦生长迅速 , 对环境的适应能力强 , 是恢复植被 、 保
护森林水分和土壤的优良造林树种 , 白桦又是一个重要的药用和纤维用优良经济树种 , 因此 ,
白桦资源具有全球范围内的广阔的发展前景 。本文论述了中国白桦资源的地理分布 、群落生态 、
生长发育 、遗传生态 、转基因技术和树皮 、树叶 、木材的加工利用 , 同时 , 还阐述了中国的白
桦天然林保护工程 、 白桦工业的发展以及白桦资源的合理开发利用 。
关键词　白桦;生态经营;工业利用
THE ECOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT AND INDUSTRIAL UTILIZATION OF
WHITE BIRCH(BETULA PLATYPHYLLA )RESOURCES IN CHINA
ZHANG Xue-ke　YANG Feng -jian　YU Jing -hua　SHI Fu-chen
(Key Laboratory of Forest Plant Ecology , Ministry of Education , P.R.China , Harbin 150040)
Abstract　The White Birch (Betula platyphyl la), a w orld-w ide species , mainly dist ributed in the
No rthern Temperate zone , and mainly in Japan , Korea , Russia and China in Temperate Asian.In
o ther w ay , it mainly dist ributed in Daxingan Mountain , Xiaoxingan M ountain and Changbai Moun-
tain in the No rtheast China , Yan M ountain , Taihang M ountain in Northern China , Qin Mountain ,
Tian Mountain , Artai Mountain in Northwest China , Hengduan Mountain , Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
in Southwest China.White Birch , g rowing rapidly and having st ronger adaptability to the environ-
ment , is quali ty species to regeneration forest culture for restitution vegetation and conservation of
both w ater and soil , also a important economic tree species for medicinal and edible application.So
there w ill a very extensive global development prospect for w hi te birch resources.The prog ress in the
aspect of geographical distribution , community ecology , grow th and development , Reproductive E-
cology transfer-gene breeding , the processing utilization of w ood , sap and bark of w hite birch re-
sources in China w as documented in this paper.At the meantime , suggestion on possibility of forming
white birch indust ry and developing a new substitute estate in the protection engineering of the nature
forest in China w as put for forw ard for implementation rational exploitation , utilization of birch re-
sources of China.
Key words　white birch;ecological management;indust ry ut ilization
＊第一作者简介:张学科 (1956-), 男 , 副教授 , 主要从事生物资源的研究。
　国家自然科学基金资助项目 (39870634)
　收稿日期:2001-10-12
1　The ecology character of withte birch
1.1　The geographical dist ribution of white birch re-
sources in China
The geog raphical dist ribution of white birch re-
sources in China include horizontal distribution and
vertical dist ribution.The ho rizontal dist ribution in
Northeast China including Daxingan Mountain , Xi-
aoxingan Mountain , Changbai Mountain[ 1] ; in
Northern China including Yan Mountain , Taihang
M ountain;in Northwest China including Qin Moun-
tain , Tian M ountain , Artai M ountain;in Southwest
China including Hengduan Mountain , Qinghai-Ti-
bet Plateau.The vertical distribut ion in China as fol-
lowing:in Daxingan Mountain is from 250m to
750m;in Xiaoxingan Mountain is from 600m to
1100m;in Changbai M ountain is f rom 900 to
1400m;in Yan Mountain and Taihang Mountain is
from 1200m to 1400m;in Qin Mountain is f rom
1000m to 2000m;in T ian M ountain and Artai Moun-
tain is f rom 1800m to 2600m;in Hengduan Mountain
is from 2600m to 3400m;in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
is from 3500m to 4100m.
1.2　The Communi ty ecology
The white birch g row ing rapidly and having
stronger adaptability to the environment , it could
g row in many different environment condit ion , so it
form a series of ecology series and different forest type
in dif ferent environment
[ 3] (Fig .1).
Fig.1 Ecolog ical series of birch fo rest
1.3　Reproductive ecology
1.3.1　Sexual reproduction
With birch can produce a large number seeds at
15 ～ 20 years old w hich are about 1 ～ 1.5 kg each
year and can fly about 1 ～ 2km.The seed crop of
white birch increase before 40 ～ 50 ages.The rate of
germination of w hi te birch is high and the time of ef-
fective preservation is long.The adaptability of w hi te
birch seedling is very st ronger and mature seed ap-
pears the higher survival rate of seedling (Fig .2)
Fig.2 The seed production of w hite birch
1.3.2　Clone reproduction
Clone production of w hite birch is a common
way of reproduct ion.It has very st rong sprouting a-
bility .The dormant bud of w hite birch can be adjust-
ed with hormone , the ho rmone can increase enzyme
activi ty and make indefinite bud development.The
sprouts development also is very st ronger , during 10
～ 15 years old it have 50 ～ 160 sprouts f rom one
stump and sustain 30 ～ 40 years;during 45 ～ 50 years
old , it have 4 ～ 8 sprouts f rom one stump;during 60
～ 70 years old , the sprouts disappear[ 4] .
Because w hite bi rch is a kind of pioneer popula-
tion , during its younger fo rest , the young age popu-
lation s quantity more than older population s , but
as it s g row th , the younger population s quantity be-
come smaller than the older population s (Fig.3).
It shows that w hite birch population is a kind of de-
cline population in i ts g row th environment.
2532 期　　　　　　　　　　　　　　张学科等:中国白桦资源的工业利用与生态经营
2　The industrial util ization of white birch
2.1 　Application gene t ransfer technology for im-
proved w ood property
White birch is an important pioneer t ree that
grow s up fast to form the secondary forestry.But the
Fig.3 The age structure of clone population of white birch
wood quali ty and trunk fo rm of white birch is poor.
In o rder to improve the wood quality and trunk form
of w hite birch , we plan to transfer the UDPG-Ppase
gene to the individuals w ith good trunk form.UDPG
-Ppase gene codes for the enzyme which functions in
the synthesis of cellulose (Fig.4).
Fig.4 Flow chat of genetic transformation
　　Thus white bi rch not only grows fast but also
has the advantage of both good trunk form and wood
quality will be derived.
2.2　Indust rial Utilization of White Birch Bark
From white Birch Bark , we can obtain essential
oil , tanning , betulin , betulinic acid and others.Be-
tulin and betulinic acid have antitumor activity[ 2] .
Properties of Betulin:Betulin is a t riterpene and
i ts content can be above 35% in the white birch
bark.Its molecular fo rmula is C30H48 (OH)2 , it
structure see figure1.The outer bark of white birch
appears white color because its ex istence.
254 　　　　　　植　　物　　研　　究　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　22 卷
F ig.5 The structure of betulin and betulinic acid
　　 Properties of Betulinic acid:Betulinic acid is a
pentacylic triterpene its molecular formula is C30H46
(OH)COOH , it st ructure see Fig.5.It can be
chemically derived from betulin.
Pharmacology of Betulinic acid:Betulinic acid
has Anti-melanoma tumor and anti-AIDS activi ty ,
It can selectively killed the melanoma cancer cells ,
There were no side effected such as weight loss , It
works by inducing apoptosis(prog rammed cell death)
in cancer cell and has apparent specif icity fo r
melanoma cells , It s no toxicity , inexpensive and
abundant ly available.
Fig.6　Ecological industry management of w hite birch resource
3　Ecological management of white birch resources
During a long time , on account of being rest rict-
ed by tradi tional consciousness and sciences and tech-
nology , exploitation and utilization of w hi te birch on-
ly rest ricted to utilization of w ood , and management
is extensive , resources utilization ratio is low , ad-
vantage of plant resources didn t t ranslate into econ-
omy advantage.
The follow ing is an ecological management model
of w hi te bi rch resources , its aim are:Economical for-
est in ext remely sho rt utilizing cycle;Ecological pro-
cess w ithout w aste;Ecological process without pollu-
tion;Sustainable utilization of w hite bi rch resources
(Fig.6).At first , whi te bi rch has the public evalu-
ation.It acts an important role in the w ater and soil
conservation and purification of w ater quality.On the
o ther hand , it is also an commercial species.We can
improve the w ood quality to make birch w ood as ex-
cellent timber by gene t ransfer.At the meantime , ev-
ery year , we can collect the bark , leaves and sap to
produce the drug , feed and beverage for indust rial u-
tilization , and the exhaust liquor , steam and solid
could provide w ater and energy for the process of the
2552 期　　　　　　　　　　　　　　张学科等:中国白桦资源的工业利用与生态经营
indust rial utilization , and some of the exhaust also
can reutilized through purification.
References
1.Nie Shaoquan et al , The development and utilization of
Birch resources and Birch sap of Heilongjiang P rovince , Chi-
na.T ree sap , 1995 , 23 ～ 28
2.Minoru Terazawa , Shirakamba birch. Splendid forest
biomass-potential of living tree tissues.T ree sap , 1995 , 7
～ 12
3.Zhang Aoluo , et al , F loristic characteristics and diversity of
east Asian plants , the first international symposium on floris-
tic characteristics and diversity of east A sian plants , July 25
～ 27 , 1996
4.Shiyou Li and Kent T.Adair , Species pools of seed plants in
eastern Asia and No rth America , 1997
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