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Abstract
The impact of environmental pollution is defined for the chemical composition of Scots pine (
Pinus sylvestris L.) needles and cambial activity in the tree stems in Polish forests. The research investigated 20-year-old trees growing in two areas in significantly different levels of pollution. The highly polluted area was located near the Warsaw steelworks, while the area with relatively low level of pollution (control area) was in the Kampinos National Park, 10.5 km away from the steelworks. The research revealed significant differences in chemical composition of needles between the two areas. The increased content of almost all of the studied elements was observed in all of the typical pollutants such as sulfur, chlorine, and heavy metals; and in the nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and sodium. Differences were also observed in relations between particular elements and accumulation of nutrient elements (ANE). The changes in chemical composition of needles affected by environmental pollution were accompanied by a reduction of cambial activity. This reduction was not expressed as a decrease in the number of cells in cambial zone, but as a decreased number of cells on the phloem side, both at the tree-top level and at breast height. These differences were particularly visible in the second half of the vegetative season.
Parent Publication
Citation
Dmuchowski, Wojciech; Kurczynska, Ewa U.; Wloch, Wieslaw. 1998. Chemical composition of needles and cambial activity of stems of Scots pine trees affected by air pollutants in Polish forests. In: Bytnerowicz, Andrzej; Arbaugh, Michael J.; Schilling, Susan L., tech. coords. Proceedings of the international symposium on air pollution and climate change effects on forest ecosystems. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-166. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station: 197-204
