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ISSN: 1546-9239 (Print)
ISSN: 1554-3641 (Online)
Research Article Open Access

Decline of Betula ermanii with Special Reference to Ozone Concentration at Mt. Mae-Shirane, Oku-Nikko, Japan

Y. W. Feng1, N. Ohta2 and H. Shimizu2
  • 1 National Institute for Rural Engineering, 2-1-6 Kannondai Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8609, Japan
  • 2 National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0053, Japan

Abstract

During June to October 2000 and 2001 we measured the height, Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) and stand density of Betula ermanii trees at Mt. Mae-Shirane, Japan and the ozone concentration there to explore the relationship between ozone concentration and the decline of B. ermanii trees on the mountain. Height, DBH and stem volume were lower on the southeast-facing slope than on the northwest-facing slope. Stand density on the southeast-facing slope was 1/8 that on the northwest-facing slope. Serious forest decline was observed on the southeast-facing slope. The ozone concentration was higher on the southeast-facing slope than on the northwest-facing slope during the period of measurement. Experimental exposure of B. ermanii to ozone showed that at the concentration levels observed at Mt. Mae-shirane this pollutant significantly damages the growth of B. ermanii. It is concluded that ozone is one factor that damages the growth of B. ermanii at Mt. Mae-Shirane.

American Journal of Applied Sciences
Volume 2 No. 3, 2005, 701-706

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3844/ajassp.2005.701.706

Submitted On: 18 March 2006 Published On: 31 March 2005

How to Cite: Feng, Y. W., Ohta, N. & Shimizu, H. (2005). Decline of Betula ermanii with Special Reference to Ozone Concentration at Mt. Mae-Shirane, Oku-Nikko, Japan. American Journal of Applied Sciences, 2(3), 701-706. https://doi.org/10.3844/ajassp.2005.701.706

Open AccessCopyright: © 2005 Y. W. Feng, N. Ohta and H. Shimizu. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

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Keywords

  • Forest Decline
  • Ozone Concentration
  • B. ermanii
  • Growth
  • Passive Sampler