The results of numerous investigations in Europe on potential relationships between forest decline caused by immissions and the wood quality of diseased trees consistently showed the technical properties of wood form diseased trees to be unaffected. Wood from diseased trees can be used without reservation.

Physiological processes of western trees are effected by ozone at concentration over 80 ppb, depending on the duration of the exposures and environmental conditions. At a single fascicle level short-term ozone exposures can cause reduction, no change or increase of stomatal conductance and net assimilation rate. Two seasons of exposures at twice level ozone concentrations caused a significant reduction of stomatal conductance and pigment concentrations in foliage.

Deposition rates in Baden-Wuerttemberg, which are monitored by sampling grid, mostly exceed critical loads. This applies especially for nitrogen input and the deposition of total acidity. In a periodic inventory of tree nutrition on a basic grid of 4 km, regions abundant and persistent Mg and K deficiency could be identified.

The biggest problem facing the forest of Latin America is deforestation. Air pollution also constitutes a threat to some forests, and pollution level will increase in the future. Major problem associated with photochemical smogs have been documented in the mountains around Mexico City and Santiago in Chile. Acidic deposition has been identified in some areas and is known to be affecting forest reserves in rural situations.

There is a strong evidence to indicate that sulphates and nitrogen oxides cause increased leaching of base cations, principally calcium and magnesium from soils supporting old-growth sugar maple forest in central Canada. Sugar maple trees sequester Ca, especially in bark. A site low in exchangeable bases might become less productive, if subjected to prolonged high rates of leaching and full tree harvesting.

Atmospheric pollutant can cause direct effects mediated by foliage and indirect effects mediated through soil. Biotic and abiotic factors can confound relationships among nutrient cycling, growth loss and mortality and air pollution. Changes in the soils could result from acidic deposition. Changes could include increased fertility as a result of sulphur and nitrogen input to soils that are deficient in these elements or decreased fertility through ion leaching or mobilization of toxic substances as aluminium.

The soil biota plays a critical part in the functioning of forest ecosystems. Acidification and heavy metals have the greatest direct effects on the soil biota. However pollutants can have indirect effects through their influence on tree root systems. Acidic deposition can decrease the incidence of mycorrhizal infection, but soil pH and concentration of nitrogen and certain forms of sulphur are also important.

Climate change must be considered an ecological and socio-economic threat. We have to support any measures that are combating climate change. It is currently unknown which climate scenario will come true, and therefore very important to maintain the biological diversity of the forest ecosystems for a wide variety of possible development.

The national forest inventory of Switzerland is a large-scale assessment of the condition and changes in Swiss forests. Some of the most important advantages of the NFI are its permanence, the long-term and flexible inventory design, the high data-quality and the compatibility with the damage inventory.

Monitoring of forest health represents an important part of programmes assessing the actual and potential impact of air pollution and climate change on forests. The available information indicates that variation between years is high, indicating that long term time series will be required to identify trends in forest condition.