Forest Ecosystem Monitoring Cooperative(802) 656-0683femc@uvm.eduwww.uvm.edu/femc705 Spear StreetSouth BurlingtonVermont05403United States of AmericaNortheastern States Research Cooperative funderUnited States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service Northern Research StationleadNutrient vs. Toxic Elements in Forest Soils and Their Impact on Forest HealthCalcium is an important soil nutrient in healthy forests, but interactions with acid rain cause elements, such as aluminum, to interfere with calcium uptake by plants. Calcium-to-aluminum ratio in foliage and soil has been shown to be a predictor of tree health and is used in critical loads assessments to determine impacts of air pollution. Most studies have been done on greenhouse seedlings and have questionable application to mature forests. Another element, manganese, has also been shown to interfere with nutrient uptake. NSRC researchers investigated these ratios in mature forest trees. They measured chemistry of soil, soil water, and foliage of sugar maple, yellow birch, white ash, and black cherry in 56 hardwood forest plots from Pennsylvania to New Hampshire. Researchers assessed tree health by rating tree canopies for dieback, transparency, and overall vigor. They measured stem diameter growth with increment cores.Nutrient vs. Toxic Elements in Forest Soils and Their Impact on Forest HealthBaileyScottLongRobertHallettRichardHorsleyStephenBasal Area Increment and Foliar Chemistry2003-01-01Tree level data including: species, Basal Area Increment [as per: Long, R. P., Horsley, S. B., Hallett, R. A., & Bailey, S. W. (2009). Sugar maple growth in relation to nutrition and stress in the northeastern United States. Ecological Applications, 19(6), 1454–1466.] and foliar concentration of Al, Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, P, and N. Determining impacts of air pollution on tree health. _SugarMapleRegionalStudy_SBailey_BAI_Fol_Chem.xlsxVMC.1094.2259mySQLBailey, S., R. Hallett, S. Horsley, and R. Long. Basal Area Increment and Foliar Chemistry. USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station. FEMC. Can be found at: /femc/data/archive/project/nutrient-vs-toxic-elements-in-forest-soils/dataset/bai_fol_chem/femc/data/archive/project/nutrient-vs-toxic-elements-in-forest-soils/dataset/bai_fol_chemSpeciesSpeciestextD-M-YY-1ABAmerican BeechBFBalsam FirBWBasswoodBABig-Tooth AspenBCBlack CherryCTCucumber TreeHEHemlockPBPaper BirchPCPin CherryRMRed MapleRORed OakRPRed PineRSRed SpruceSTStriped MapleSMSugar MapleTATrembling AspenWAWhite AshWOWhite OakWPWhite PineYBYellow Birch