[Index]
Geneva, 29 August 2002
Not-so-clean bill of health for Europe's forests
After years of steady recovery, the health of our forests is again deteriorating.
A quarter of the trees are damaged, partly as a result of natural causes (e.g.
drought, pests) but also because of air pollution. Moreover, there is less
plant diversity on acid soils, which are now widespread in Europe. These are
some of the findings of the 2002 edition of The Condition of Forests in
Europe,1 released today by the United Nations Economic Commission
for Europe (UNECE) and the European Commission.
As well as describing the actual damage observed on trees and forests, the
report also presents computer model calculations of future risks. If present
nitrogen pollution rates continue, half the plots currently monitored may
see the diversity of their forest vegetation diminish and the health of their
trees harmed. And acid depositions will endanger tree roots on more than one
third of the plots. Both nitrogen pollution and acid deposition are expected
to become particularly acute in Central Europe, while forests in Western Europe
will suffer mainly from nitrogen pollution.
On a more positive note, the report points out that sulphur pollution has
eased on most plots, proving that international cooperation to reduce sulphur
emissions under the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution
is paying off.
The series of annual forest reports summarizes the results of one of the
world's largest biomonitoring networks, with 7000 forest plots and 39 participating
countries. The UNECE Programme on Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution
Effects on Forests (ICP Forests), which together with the European Commission
coordinates the forest-monitoring network, has for the past 17 years provided
scientific information on the impact of air pollution on forests to underpin
the UNECE Convention.
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1 The report is available on http://www.icp-forests.org/RepEx.htm.
For more information on the report, please contact:
Keith BULL
UNECE Environment and Human Settlements Division
Palais des Nations, Office 346
CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Phone: + 41 (0)22 917 23 54
Fax: + 41 (0)22 907 01 07 or 917 96 21
E-mail: [email protected]
or:
Thomas HAUßMANN
Chairman, ICP Forests
Federal Ministry for Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture
Rochusstr.1
D - 53123 Bonn, Germany
Phone: + 49 228 529 43 21
Fax: + 49 228 529 43 18
E-mail: [email protected]
or:
Martin LORENZ
Programme Coordinating Centre
Federal Research Centre for Forestry and Forest Products
Leuschnerstr. 91
D - 21031 Hamburg, Germany
Phone: + 49 40 739 26 119
Fax: + 49 40 739 62 480
E-mail: [email protected]
Trees are classified as damaged if they have lost more than a quarter
of their leaves or needles.
Ref: ECE/ENV/02/05