The Short-Term Effect of Simulated Acidic Rainfall on the Formation of Discolored Wood in Acer rubrum

Abstract

Healthy red maple trees growing in the Massabesic Experimental Forest in Main were wounded in June 1982, with a bow saw. Dilute sulfuric acid solutions of pH 3.0, 4.0, and 5.8 were dripped into the wounds for 1 hr once a week for 7 weeks. In mid-August the trees were harvested, sectioned, and the amount of discolored wood associated with each wound was measured with a planimeter. Increased acidity did not affect the amount of discoloration that occurred.