Long-term acid load and its consequences in forest ecosystems of Saxony (Germany)

Between 1993 and 1995 a system of six intensive monitoring stations in representative stands of Norway spruce (Picea abies), sessile oak (Quercus robur) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) were installed in forests of Saxony (Germany), they are integrated in the European Level II - Programme. As a complementary system, and in addition to the annual nation-wide forest decline survey, 280 sites within the forest soil condition survey (European Level I - Programme) have been examined since 1992. The results of deposition monitoring show that until 1997 the acidity in precipitation and troughfall still was very high, despite of strong reductions in industrial emissions between 1989 and 1992. The annual fluxes (hydrological year 1996) of sulphur in throughfall ranged between 16 and 77 kg-ha super(-1), whereas the fluxes of total inorganic N varied between 17 and 46 kg-ha super(-1). The forest soils show high degrees of acidification with only low base saturation. In most cases the nutrient status of the soils has to be improved in the course of a regeneration programme in order to rebuild more natural forest ecosystems.