Air Pollution, Acid Rain, and the Future of Forests

Abstract

This book traces centuries of human use andabUse of forest ecosystems by discussing past decades of intense burning, grazing, and timber cutting that added to the natural acidification of the soil. Air pollutants and acids generafed by industrial activities worldwide are also considered. Many forests in Europe and NOrth America now receive as much as 30 times more acidity than they would if rain or snow were falling through a pristine atmosphere; ozone levels in many rural areas of Europe and North America are now regularly in the range known to damage trees. The book is organized . into six sections, an introduction and_bibliography of cited references. Maior topic areas discussed include: (1) signs of forest destruction worldwide; (2) pathways of pollUtion.that in most cases are traced back to sulfur and nitrogen oxides emitted during the burning-of fossil fuels; (3) economic and ecological reality of forest destruction; (4) controlling emissions through requirements for effective technology; (5)' international cooperation as an essential factor in controlling a wholesale continental pollution trade; and (6) the emerging realization of the potential economic and ecological consequences of acid rain and air pollution. (BC)