The investigation was carried out in three areas characterised by different levels and types of PAHs emission. The difference in total amount of PAHs in pine needles from investigated areas was accompanied by a significant changes in mutual ratio of PAHs with different number of rings

Investigation of air pollution impact on tree condition indicates the greatest correlation between pine defoliation and SO2, SO4 and NH4 concentration in the air, NH4 load with precipitation and its pH in the eastern part of Lithuania. In the southern part significant correlation was found between defoliation and SO4 concentration in the air and SO4, NH4 load with precipitation and its pH. No significant correlation was found in the western region of the country, which includes seaside part. Tree age and tree development classes have an essential effect on the correlation significance

The response of Betula pubescens Ehr., B. pendula Roth and two provenances of Pinus sylvestris L. to solar ultraviolet radiation were investigated in a UV exclusion field experiment during the 1997-1999 growing seasons in Finnish Lapland. The seed-grown seedlings were grown under UV-B exclusion and UV-B/UV-A exclusion as compared to control treatment and ambient plants. The only significant impacts of UV exclusion were found in P. sylvestris provenance Enontekio. Longer-term field studies are needed to detect the cumulative characteristics of the UV responses

Taking into account the results of environmental monitoring in forest ecosystems (European Level I- and II-Programme) showing high degrees of soil acidification and still a widespread exceedance of critical loads by deposited sulphur and nitrogen compounds, the programme of differentiated forest protection liming should continue with site specific doses. On the other hand the programme to restore forest ecosystems with higher stability and to a large extent balanced nutrient cycles has to be carried out in order to minimize internal acid-generating processes

Significant correlations (p0.05) were found between the concentration of elements in the c needles and the distance of the sites from nitrogen ferilizer factory (NFF): the amounts of C, K, Mg, Zn, and Rb in the c+1 needles were increasing, whereas concentrations of N, P, Al, Mn, Cu, Ni, Sr and Cd were decreasing alongside the transect from NFF. Statistical analyses performed on logarithms and estimation of components of variance by maximum likelihood has shown that the age of the needles and the sites were the most important, while year of sampling was much smaller source of variance. Only a few significant differences were found comparing the amount of elements in Scots pine needles collected in four-year space

We studied the effects of elevated CO2 and elevated temperature on photosynthesis and composition of Scots pine needles during three years of treatments, started in August 1996. CO2 and temperature were elevated day- and year- round in closed-top chambers, which were constructed around naturally regenerated Scots pine trees growing at a nitrogen poor site. Our aim was to study, whether there is photosynthetic acclimation during three years of growth at elevated CO2 and elevated temperature in Scots pine, and whether acclimation response is connected to the aging of the needles

Ectomycorrhizal types were quantified in soil cores taken from 0-5 cm horizon. Nine ectomycorrhizal types were distinguished on roots of pines grown close to the copper smelter, 17 on trees grown in vicinity of aluminium smelter versus 25 found on trees grown near phosphate fertilizer plant and from control trees. Molecular studies were performed to give a greater resolution of how emission from different sources influenced mycorrhizal fungal community of Scots pine

The main objective of this paper is to analyse regeneration regularities of damaged trees during the period of decreased environmental pollution load. Investigations concentrated on Scots pine tree height and radial increment, branch length increment, amount of branches on the verticil and needle and whole crown mass. Model trees were selected in 3 stands located on 3.5, 10 and 21 km from the plant according to their development classes and condition

A long-term effect of heavy metal pollution originating from Copper Smelter and Refinery Division Glogow on a Scots pine stand was carried out in the protective zone surrounding the smelting/refining plant. The effect of enhanced Cu, Pb and Zn availability on the structure of ectomycorrhizal communities was assessed above- and below-ground among several subplots dominated by Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). Three different approaches were performed: sporocarp inventories, morphological analysis of ectomycorrhizal roots and molecular techniques based on PCR-RFLP method. Only a few sporocarps of ectomycorrhizal species were observed

Needle retention, needle density, height and radial increments were surveyed on Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in four forest regions, In the each forest region research was conducted on seven about 45-year-old pines. The Needle Trace Method (NTM) was used to determine needle retention and needle density along the main stem retrospectively for the last four decades. The NTM invented by Kurkela and Jalkanen is based on the examination of the vascular bundles connecting the needles and shoot pith. There are presented the long-term average values of needle retention in the particular forest regions, their differences. Needle retention and needle density reflected air pollution stress on the pines