ABSTRACT
Various types of forest decline prevailing for more than a decade in Europe and Eastern North America are related to nutritional disturbances. The health status of forest trees and stands is determined by numerous site factors such as chemical, physical, and biological soil factors, water supply, climate, weather conditions, management history as well as atmospheric deposition impacts. This chapter demonstrates the relationships between the new type forest damage and the nutrient supply, briefly discusses relevant hypotheses, identifies diagnostic tools and proposes revitalization/restabilization measures. Forest sites are poorly supplied with nutrients. The historical development of commercial forests in central Europe is marked by the circumstance that the “better” sites were utilized for agriculture for a long time. Forest damage types associated with nutritional disturbances may be grouped into specific damage types based on site factors and stand conditions.
