The magnesite plants Jelsava and Lubenik emitted in the 80s 30 000 tons of magnesite dust and heavy metals and 4000 tons of SO2 per year, what caused an extreme damage to the vegetation in the area around of about 500 km2. For the determination of 3 zones of endangerment we used pollution index values. In each pollution zone we demarcated experimental plots and carried out soil analyses. Forest stands polluted by magnesite dust belong to alkaline air pollution type

The alkalinization has a positive influence on soil microflora abundance. The number of ammonifiers nearby the plant is greater by 2-4 times than in relatively unpolluted soils of the same type, while the amount of denitrifiers and anaerobic nitrogen-fixing microorganisms even by 20-50 times. Alkalinization has induced biological soil activity. The data obtained are compared with the data of analogous studies conducted on forest ecosystems affected by acidifying pollutants

Bark beetle populations were estimated periodically each year in 50 ha plots using a series of pheromone traps and through the dissection of 0.5 m sections of infested trees. Data were recorded on several parameters including the volume of infested trees, captures in pheromone traps, number of attacks, and the presence and relative abundance of related bark beetle species. In the period 2000-2001 3 transects were established in the High Tatra Mts., where captures in pheromone traps were recorded and compared with air pollution represented by ozone

The chloroplast genome has been widely addressed to describe genetic diversity in tree species with regard to phylogeographic studies. In contrast, there is little information on the pattern of genetic differentiation in tolerant and sensitive tree populations, responding to different types of environmental stress. The results demonstrate that chloroplast microsatellites markers are useful tools for elucidating and for testing the pattern of genetic differentiation in stress-exposed populations of Norway spruce, offering to prove the feasibility of marker-aided selection in future

Fertilization plays an essential role in forest management on the site being under air pollution load in last years. The soil acidity due to the acid fall-out is markedly worse and at the same time the concentration of calcium, phosphorous, potassium and magnesium are decreasing. The fertilization besides positive influence on height increment could help in adaptation process of plants establishment after transplanting and it can eliminate negative ifluence of anthropogenic conditions of the environmnet

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

Problems of the environment pollution in Ziarska basin are connected with the operation of Aluminium plant from 1953. After replacement of old production technology by a a new one by Norwegian company Hydro Aluminium emission of dust of Al2O3 dropped from 766 tons per year to 243 tons per year, emission of fluorides dropped from 847 to per year to 65.9 tons per year and of SO2 have increased from 716 to 974 tons per year. The mentioned reduction of emission reflected markedly in a great reduction of vegetation loading by fluorine. In the year 2001 we found statistically sifnificant difference for total Ksupz (coefficient of loading) in coniferous and broadleaved tree species in A polution zone in comparison with the zone B, C and D

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 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