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 HealthBaileyScottLongRobertHallettRichardHorsleyStephenTree health2003-01-01Tree-level data including species, DBH, crown class, vigor, dieback, and defoliation. For description of variables, see: Hallett, R. A., Bailey, S. W., Horsley, S. B., & Robert, P. (2006). Influence of nutrition and stress on sugar maple at a regional scale. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 36, 2235–2246. Physical tree measurements to track trends in growth and health over time. _SugarMapleRegionalStudy_SBailey_treehealth.xlsxVMC.1094.2258mySQLBailey, S., R. Hallett, S. Horsley, and R. Long. Tree Health. USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station. FEMC. Can be found at: /femc/data/archive/project/nutrient-vs-toxic-elements-in-forest-soils/dataset/tree-health/femc/data/archive/project/nutrient-vs-toxic-elements-in-forest-soils/dataset/tree-healthSppSppSpecies CodestextABAmerican BeechBFBalsam FirBWBasswoodBABig-Tooth AspenBCBlack CherryCTCucumber TreeHEHemlockPBPaper BirchPCPin CherryRMRed MapleRORed OakRPRed PineRSRed SpruceSTStriped MapleSMSugar MapleTATrembling AspenWAWhite AshWOWhite OakWPWhite PineYBYellow BirchCrown_ClassCrown_ClassintD-M-YY-11Open Grown2Dominant3Codominant4Intermediate5Suppressed/overtoppedVigorVigorintD-M-YY-11Healthy2Light decline3Moderate decline4Severe decline5Dead, natural6Dead, human caused