Environmental Pollution Trends and Impact to the Forest State and Growth in Lithuania

Abstract

Trends of air pollution and its impact on forests, with special attention to transitional changes over the past decade, are presented. Scots pine forests in the surroundings of one of the largest polluters in Lithuania, the mineral fertilisers plant “Achema”, are used as a special example for deeper study of forest decline under environmental pollution and recovery since essential reduction of pollution and decreased ecological risk for the forests.

Three different periods of anthropogenic transformations of tree growth were singled out on the basis of tree-ring analysis. At the beginning, emitted nitrogen compounds have had a positive impact and annual tree increment has increased compared with normal growth. However, several years later the general impact of increased emissions has become negative and a depression period has started. Since the mid-80s, damaged Scots pine stands have recovered as a consequence of the reduction in environmental pollution and the annual increment of trees has reached a normal level or has exceeded it.