An Ecophysiological Analysis of the Response of Trees to Oxidant Pollution

The ecophysiological concept proposed has some important consequences. In an urban setting, later successional, slower growing trees may be more ideal in areas plagued by air pollution problems. An additional benefit that can be gained by planting slower growing trees is that they very often require less maintenance than fast growing species. Also, most forest industries depend on fast-growing, early successional species. Breeding programs may have to be started in those areas where forestry is threatened by increasing air pollution stress. Further, regional and local land-use planning groups may be able to use this information in the establishment of parks and greenbelts which may somewhat reduce air pollution burdens in urban and suburban areas. Finally, we do not propose that our analysis has provided all the answers about susceptibility of trees to O/sub 3/, but rather we hope that we can stimulate the development of a new attitude toward research with trees. Such dynamic problems will not be answered fully through the traditional static approach.