Watershed-scale responses to ozone events in a Pinus strobus L. plantation

Abstract

High O3 levels during the 1984 growing season in the southern Appalachian Mountains caused extensive damage to a 28 yr old white pine plantation on a 13.4 ha watershed at the Coweeta Hydrologie Laboratory. Ozone stress effects included premature senescence and loss of foliage, stimulation of pine seedling germination, reduced basal area increment, and small but measurable increases in NO3 − −N and K+ concentrations in stream water. There were no observable effects of O3 damage on nutrient concentrations of stemwood and foliage but net nutrient accumulation was reduced due to lower stemwood production. Ozone injury did not predispose trees to root pathogens or bark beetle infestations.