ABSTRACT
The condition of artificial forest ecosystems, planted during large scale afforestation in Bulgaria, is of great interest to foresters. In 1990 after intensive afforestation, the number rose to 1,395,000ha or 37% of the forest area. In 1990 artificial forest ecosystems filled approximately 900,000ha of the forested land, 685,000 of which were Pinus sylvestris and Pinus nigrastands, and 170-190,000 were deciduous species. The complex assessment of forest health done according to international methods is very symptomatic of the condition of individual trees in representative sample areas in different regions of Bulgaria. The general conclusion is that artificial forest ecosystems are more seriously affected by drought than natural ones, which fact is a reflection of the continuous drought and chronic air pollution in some regions. An analysis of the changes in ecological factors and their impact on coniferous forests points to the severe drought after 1982 as the main factor.
