Critical Nitrogen Loads in nitrogen-sensitive Forest Associations

On the background of ongoing high nitrogen deposition this research aims to explore correlations between soil nitrogen content and changes in the understory vegetation of nitrogen-sensitive temperate forests.

A database for the definition of critical nitrogen limits was created through the simultaneous assessment of vegetation, soil data and site-specific variables in nitrogen-sensitive forest associations. Based on multivariate analyses, differences in the sensitivity of different forest types are revealed and suggestions for empirically deduced critical limits are made.