Pollution-Related Risk Factors to Austrian Alpine Forest Ecosystems : Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop, 22-26 May, 2002, Stara Lesna, Slovaka

Amsterdam

2002

S. 271-284

Artikel aus einer ZeitschriftUnselbständiges Werk

200109181

A large part of Austria is covered by the Alps and forests and their protective function play an important role. The forest ecosystems in the Alps are endangered by a multitude of natural and anthropogenic stress factos. Based on results from the Austrian networks as well as from interdisciplinary forest decline projects, the understanding of air pollution risk factors and reactions is determined. The Federal Forest Research Center (FFRC) is responsible for the following Austrian Forest Monitoring Networks: The Forest Inventory, the Forest Damage Monitoring System, the Austrian sample plots of the transboundary EU-networks Level I and Level II and for the Austrian Bioindicator Grid. During the last two decades essential research activities of the FFRC have been carried out in conjunction with a variety of interdisciplinary projects. These activities, which encompassed more than 100 individual projects with universities and specialized research centers, disclosed that airborne pollutants respresent a risk to forest ecosystems. Many evaluation schemes to describe the environmental situation as well as the reaction of trees to prevailing circumstances were compiled. The existing knowledge should be considered prior to the introduction of new projects.