Summary and Concluding Remarks

Abstract

Undoubtedly, forest damage, forest decline and forest dieback — not initiated by biotic agents — are presently occurring on a global scale. Explanations regarding the causes of these phenomena differ greatly. This is particularly true for declining forests in the Atlantic and Pacific regions. In Europe and eastern North America, emphasis is placed on anthropogenic stresses, especially air pollution. The Pacific forest diebacks and declines which occur on several islands and areas of the Pacific rim are related to natural causes. Up to now, no serious approach has been undertaken to explain why abiotic declines in the Atlantic region are believed to be caused by the adverse effects of air pollution, whereas similar declines in areas free of air pollution in the Pacific region have been attributed to natural causes. This volume was written to discuss the forest decline problem from a global perspective. It contains selected papers presented at the international symposium on “Forest Decline in the Atlantic and Pacific Region” held in Hilo, Hawaii, USA, June 2–6, 1991. To guarantee a comprehensive, objective, but also critical insight into this problem further authors were invited to contribute. A brief revision of the major results and some concluding remarks are presented in the following discussion.