Results on germination, growth and mortality of Norway spruce seedlings during period 1994-2000 in various types of soil cover were summarized and evaluated. The years 1992 and 1995 were recorded as high seed production years, while the year 2000 is considered as the low seed production year. In 1999 natural seedlings from various soil covers were examined for lateral root and root tip development. The results of germination and surviving of Norway spruce seedlings are discussed in relationship with the stage of the decline of Norway spruce ecosystems

The spectral reflectance curves give important information about investigated objects. High-resolution laboratory spectroradiometric measurements were used to investigate the spectral reflectance properties of spruce twigs with various foliage loss. The spectral reflectance was measured in the range from 400 nm to 1100 nm wavelength with 2 nm spectral sampling interval. Measurements of spectral reflectance were obtained using a LI-COR spectroradiometer LI-1800 equipped with standard 1/2 mm monochromator exit slit measuring 6 nm bandwidth and its external integrating sphere covered with barium sulphate inside

The average defoliation of the sites located in the western part significantly increased in 2000, probably as a result of massive needle yellowing and shedding, and the G/A bud ratio decreased for all of the sites what reflected in reduction of crown regeneration. We suppose that a further increase of crown defoliation due to exceedance of stress threshold may trigger tree defensive reactions and replacement of the loss of assimilative organs

The aim of the experiment was to find out the influence of various thinning regimes on health condition of young stands of Norway spruce under the stress of air pollution. The experiment is based on comparative method. The series consists of three comparative plots with different thinning regimes. The comparative plot 1 is a control plot without thinning. The program with heavy thinning from below has been tested on the plot 2 and the program based on one very heavy thinning in the young age and longer periods was applied in the stands of plots 3. Health condition of experimental stands was assessed on defoliation in 1982, 1981 and since 1987 annually on both series

Results of the statistical tests showed the spectral disparity of the production part and highly damaged juvenile part of the spruce crown. A spectral difference of the juvenile and production crown part at early stress could not be shown. A low multiple stress impact was assessed for 75 randomly selected Norway spruce trees of the first AISA image. In case of the second AISA image occurrence of Cu-Zn sulphide mine partly influenced the crown status of the neighbouring spruce ecosystems

Emissions, especially of SO2 and to a certain degree of NOx have been reduced markedly in Slovakia during the 90s. Problems related to climate change and especially ozone are increasingly growing. The aim was to evaluate the long-term air pollution effect on forest ecosystems in mountain area with prevailing distribution of spruce through evaluation of spruce needle surface structure in relation to mineral nutrient status of trees. According to strong relationship between the coefficient of epicuticular wax degradation (Q) and accumulation of S and other elements it can be suggested that evaluation of needle surface structure by means of Q well reflects the surface status of needles

The aim of the international EU project was to characterize the status, conditions, and constraints for natural regeneration of Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) ecosystems in different stage of forest decline on three permanent research plots in the Giant Mts., to assess whether the biotechnological measures are necessary to support a natural regeneration at each plot. There were not ascertained any fundamental differences in basic soil types of three permenent research plots. No significant differences were observed in diversity of fungal and bacterial rhizospheric populations, including ectomycorrhizal symbionts

Results obtained by crown status estimation and branch structure transformation assessment methods are also applicable at forest stand level. By means of these methods we can reconstruct a scheme of probable stress response history for individual trees with possibility to distinguish three different types of stress response behaviour. The goal of our study was to describe a stress response history of single trees and corresponding forest stands, diverse in different level of multiple stress impact, and to localize investigated trees in the stress response scheme

The results showed that ozone specific symptoms can be detected in the needles of mature spruces in the southern Sweden with AOT40 considerably lower than the present critical level of 10 000 nl 1sup-1. The results could be expressed as an index per tree and needle generations, but also as a single value for forest stand allowing statistical tests. The results from this study support the general hypothesis and results from exposure and field studies that low nutrient concentrations or nutrient deficiency modifies the ozone response in plants. The results also show that together with low nutrition status ozone may affect the hardiness status of the needles