Assessments of tree crown condition of two Masson pine forests in the acid rain region in south China

After two decades of monitoring forest health in Europe, in response to concern for negative effects of air pollution, a similar worry is now increasing in China. In a co-operative project between Chinese and Norwegian researchers a forest monitoring was implemented in the acid rain region in south China. During 2000–2004 two small watersheds were monitored: TieShanPing (TSP) near ChongQing City and LuChongGuan (LCG) near GuiYang City. They are covered by Masson pine (Pinus massoniana) forest. The methodology of the European intensive forest monitoring programme (ICP-Forests level-II) was adopted; including crown assessments, foliar chemistry, air and soil chemistry, and more. This paper presents results of this co-operative project.Considerable forest damage was revealed by monitoring the crown condition of Masson pine trees. The average defoliation percentage for all assessed trees (predominant, dominant and co-dominant pines, corresponding to Kraft classes 1–3) in the more acidified TSP was over 40% and remained stable throughout the monitoring period, accompanied by an extremely high mortality in some years. In contrast, the defoliation in the less acidified LCG was relatively low but increased considerably, from 16% to around 40%, within the 4 monitoring years.The significance of air pollution for the forest damage remains uncertain. The annual SO2 concentration in TSP and LCG is about 2 and 4 times higher than the critical level of 20 μg m−3 given in the LRTAP convention for effects on forests. Therefore the air pollution effects cannot be ruled out as contributing factors for forest damage. However, this cannot be substantiated based on the presented monitoring data since none of the specific symptoms of air pollution damage were observed. Furthermore, an analysis of the monitoring data did not reveal any significant correlation between defoliation and the soil chemical properties. It is noteworthy that the evident agents that were identified are capable of causing the observed forest damage. These agents were insect attacks and climatic stress. It is possible that the forest damage has complex causes.