Susceptibility to vole attacks due to bark phenols and terpenes inPinus contorta provenances introduced into Sweden

Seedlings of North AmericanPinus contorta introduced to Sweden and Finland are severely gnawed by voles, e.g.,Microtus agrestis. The level of damage varies between provenances. Chemical analyses of various phenolic compounds, monoterpenes, and resin acids of different provenances and of damaged and undamaged stems showed that some phenolic substances in the bark increased after damage without deterring the animals, that monoterpene differences between provenances were not related to vole damage, and that certain resin acids occurred in larger amounts in lightly than in severely damaged provenances. Levopimaric and neoabietic acid, and possibly abietic acid, may be important for a partial resistance to vole browsing.