Spruce tree-ring reductions in relation to air pollution and human diseases a case study from Southern Poland

Abstract

The study was conducted in two small municipalities in Małopolskie voivodeship in Southern Poland. Both municipalities are located in mountain basins in the Western Beskids mountain range.Cores were taken from trees growing near the centre of Rabka-Zdrój and Sucha Beskidzka in order to analyse the impact of contemporary air pollution on the health of tree stands. Annual tree rings developed during the era of high atmospheric pollution are usually narrower than the others. These municipalities were chosen due to their current air pollution problems despite their relatively small population.Local chronology, skeleton plots and calculated ring reductions were created for the sample trees. Temporal relationships between air pollution and a negative health reaction in trees and in people were also examined. To fulfil this objective the dates of occurrence of tree-ring reductions were compared with the concentration of particulates (PM10) in the atmosphere and also lung disease morbidity in the local population. Two periods of reduced annual tree rings were detected: first from the 1960s to the end of the 1980s (associated with industrial pollution) and more recently the years since 2003. Since 2003 reductions of annual tree rings have increased in parallel with increases in dust pollution. This reaction of trees to dust pollution was immediate. The negative reaction of trees preceded several years of increasing lung disease morbidity. This gives basic evidence to support the argument that tree ring reductions could be used as an early bioindicator for warning against the risk of air pollution. The aim of this work was to determine the periods of reduction in the annual growth of spruce growing near the centre of Rabka-Zdrój and Sucha Beskidzka. In addition, potential associations were sought between the time of occurrence of these periods and changes in air pollution and human disease.