Nutritional Status of Major Forest Tree Species in Germany

Abstract

Conclusions about the current nutritional status of trees can be derived based on contents of elements in leaves and needles. This information can also be used as an indicator of the exposure of forest ecosystems to atmospheric pollutants. Chemical foliar analyses are a significant component of the National Forest Soil Inventory in Germany. In this chapter, we evaluated the foliar contents of nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur, calcium, magnesium, potassium and lead in four tree species: Norway spruce, Scots pine, European beech as well as pedunculate and sessile oak (pooled together).