The carbon pulse resulting from forest dieback related to insect outbreaks: case study of a forest district in the Sudety Mountains (southwest Poland)

Increasing concern over the possible effect of air pollution on European forest ecosystems is very noticeable (for literature review see Schulze et al. 1989). The area of severe forest decline due to pollution was estimated to be less than 0.5% of the European forest area and was thus considered not to have had much impact on the forest resources of the continent (Kauppi et al. 1992). However, in the area of forest decline a decrease in growing stock and permanent deforestation is occurring. This decreases the carbon (C) storage in forest ecosystemsand causes CO₂ release into the atmosphere.