Historical coppicing may have led to disequilibrium between carbon sources and sinks.
High R:S ratios of biomass and NSC pools were observed in two multi-stemmed trees.
[NSC] was lowest after leaf expansion, and always higher in roots than aboveground organs.
Centennial, multi-stemmed coppiced trees have highly interconnected root systems.
Attempts of conversion into high forests by thinning may be hindered by enhanced R:S ratios.