For assessment of ozone risks to forests we used ozone thresholds and air quality guidelines set by several international organizations for protection of vegetation. We also used spatial modelling for estimation of basic ozone characteristics. Calculations of models were performed in the environment of the programme Idrisi 32. The spatial coverage of ozone monitoring network in the Slovak Republic has insufficient density. Ozone data come from two sources; SHMI/EMEP database of ozone concentrations from 4 monitoring stations and ozone database of FRI from 3 monitoring stations

Foliage of three trembling aspen clones differing in O3 tolerance from Rhinelander, Kenosha and Kalamazoo were examined for 24 elements in the year 2001 and they were analyzed by INAA at reactor IBR-2, by AAS Varian 400 and by elemental analyzer LECO SC 132 and SP 228. In the fofliage of trembling aspen we found no statistically significant difference in the concentration of 22 elements except for K and Ni between clones. For the concentrations of elements between localities we found statistically significant difference for Al, Ba, Ca, Cd, Cl, Co, Cu, La, Mo, Na, Ni, Pb, Sm, Sr and Zn

The Hungarian ILTER Network consists of three sites representing the characteristic biomes in the country: lake Balaton ILTER site, Sikofut oak forest ILTER site, and the Kiskun sand forest-steppe ILTER site. Hungarian ecologists have developed broad multidisciplinary research projects, which can meet both the requirements of international research standards and the domestic needs of nature conservation and environment protection. Hungarian policy and decision makers have also recognised the importance of long-term ecological research. As a consequence different grants such as Hungarian R + D "Szechenyi", EU FWS Projects, OTKA and OTKA-NSF Projects, Joint grant of Ministry of Environment and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences were awarded in the last 2-3 years, what could create the basis of national and international research cooperations of Hungarian ILTER sites

It was performed the study of the humus forms, quantity and pedochemical characteristics, further the study of plantation growth, and the dynamics in the period of 1994-1999. Negative impacts of the bulldozing were documented, acidification in the period 1994-1999 and the ameliorative role of the birch stand as well

Coastal forest decline due to seasprays has been reported from all continents, both on broadleaves and conifers. The main cause has been identified in the presence of surfactants. Sea winds transport these substances to the leaves, where they are absorbed via cuticula and stomata producing indirect and also direct damage. The scope of this work is the macroscopic and microscopic assessment of the long term effects of polluted seasprays on Aleppo pines in natural conditions from the Saler coastline (Eastern Spain) inwards. Surfactants may be involved in the damage to Aleppo pine in El Saler as more severe episodes of damage have been observed in the last decade

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

Global environmental change, including increasing atmospheric CO2 and tropospheric O3 is likely to impact forest growth and wood properties. Increase in CO2 enhances photosynthesis, growth and productivity. On the contrary, O3 is detrimental to forest vitality and yield. At present reports of long-term studies on the effects of combined exposures of CO2 and O3 on stem wood chemistry of deciduous trees are lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of CO2 and O3, singly or in combination, on stem wood chemistry of four-year old saplings of trembling asspen (Populus tremuloides) clones differing in ozone tolerance, paper birch (Betula papyrifera) and sugar maple (Acer saccharum)

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 study documents the effects of experimental liming on the forest soils and forest plantations (Norway spruce). Liming was performed in the top part of the Orlicke hory Mts., in the altitude 1100 m. Results documented mutual effects on the forest soil as well as on the newly established Norway spruce plantations. It was evaluated the effect of liming on the soil pH, soil adsorption complex, exchangeable nutrients. Special attention was paid to the nitrogen dynamics and to the plantation growth and nutrition

Elevated CO2 was shown to influence the nutritional status of exposed ecosystems. In an earlier experiment in model ecosystems in open-top chambers with young spruce and beech, the nitrate concentration of the soil solution was dramatically reduced after 4 years exposure to elevated CO2. This phenomenon was mainly interpreted as an immobilization of nitrogen in the soil. To test if such effects occur also in mature, undisturbed natural forests, we used facilities of the Swiss Canopy Crane project. Here in a mixed 120 years old forest the crowns of 30-35 m high broadleaved trees are fumigated with CO2 during the growing season since spring 2001. According to the results the soil is probably not yet much influenced by the fumigation of the tree crowns, and it is too early to estimate whether the observed nutrient effects are due to the CO2 treatment or to the natural variability of the soil