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

Scientific concern over air pollution impacts on forest health and ecosystem function have evolved from local (point-source), to regional (area source) and ultimately to the global scale (increasing atmospheric CO2). All three scales of investigation remain relevant to increasing our understanding of how air pollution affects forests. Presently, linking air pollution with forest health status through routine monitoring network data remains problematic. In this paper we present a brief overview of air pollutant trends, together with recent European forest condition monitoring and FACE experimental case-study evidence to illustrate the need for multiple-level investigation of air pollutant-forest interactions

It was established the strong changes in elements of antioxidation system by the influence of acid stress. The different reaction of varieties in these conditions was discovered. More early ripening varieties were more sensitive to acid stress. The relative indexes of plant antioxidation system conditions were calculated. The relative evaluation of the sensitivity of studied varieties to the acid stress was done by those indexes. We propose to use index of common recovering activity of tissue as a test index for the estimation of different peach varieties to acid stress

The results showed that the hydrogen load had a very significant variation between the two monitoring years. In 1999-00 water year, hydrogen load was 4.72 kmol/ha, while in 2000-01 it was 1.70 kmol/ha. Although the observed pH values of rainwater never got over 7.0, high values around 6.0 were determined in summer moonths. The average equivalent concentrations of measured ions were calculated and an equilibrium between anions and cations was found

Major part of implemented measures was aimed at early artificial forest regeneration and securing plantations, or protection of young forest stands against damage by bark beetles. Only exceptionally there were proposed measures with the aim to increase vitality, stability and improvement of the structure of forest stands by their tending. It was worked out a draft of procedures for forest managers to help them in deciding at which stocking it is necessary to reforest reduced or actual clearings, whether to fell down open stands or to leave them regarding their age, state and expected further development

The paper deals with the results of chemical analyses of the precipitation collected with the bulk method in and out of the pedunculate oak forest near Lipovljani in Croatia, for the period 1997-2001. A considerable higher total annual deposition of the majority of analysed determinants has been found in the forest. The results point to the importance and influence of the forest cover on the reception and distribution of dry and wet pollution in the forest ecosystem of pedunculate oak

Impacts of big polluters on adjacent ecosystems can be seen as long-term unintentional experiments. Contrary to the common guess, results of these experiments may be used to address basic ecological problems, like diversity - stability and diversity - productivity relationships, as well as evaluate general effects of disturbance on ecosystem structure and functioning. Toxicity of pollutants plays a leading role at early stages of forest decline, while transformation of forests into birch woodlands and industrial barrens is accelerated by positive feedback's acting primarily via changes in microclimate

We studied whether the increased abundance of B. ulmella in 1997 was associated with environmental pollution from an aluminium plant. To clarify this question we selected nine study sites at a distance of 1.4-18 km (control) from the aluminium plant in Central Slovakia. We found a sigifnicant difference in the moth numbers between the third and fourth site even though these sites are distant from each other only about 200 m. Each site was exposed to pollution from different part of the plant complex producing specific emissions of different quantity. This might explain differences in the moth abundance within the polluted area

Presented paper based on long-term and systematic research of the negative effect of pollutants and of the content of the elements in particular parts of forest environment (the years 1965/2002) proves of the importance, need and justificatin of the research on given subject. Knowing the elemental composition of pollutants as to its quality and quantity is basic precondition with diagnosing the effect of polluted air on forest environment. For the needs of practice three main pollution deposition types (acid, alkaline and ammonia) and 8 subtypes were established. They represent changes of forest ecosystems caused by different substances from pollutants

48 sites were chosen for the ecological research and monitoring in the area influenced by the Gabcikovo hydropower plant. Decrease and exceptional increase of groundwater level was the main factor, which was expected to cause abrupt and intensive changes in production-ecological parameters, in structure and composition of tree, shrub and herbaceous layers. In chosen sites measurements and observations started in 1987. Abrupt and intensive growth of the leaf area index and improvement of health condition of tree and shrub layer was observed