INTEGRATED MONITORING IN ALPINE FOREST ECOSYSTEMS IN TRENTINO AND SOUTH TYROL, ITALY

Forest decline studies in Trentino and South Tyrol were initiated in t he early 80's. In 1992 four permanent stations were selected under the ICP-IM programme of the UN-ECE. Based on an inter-disciplinary approa ch it is aimed to study pollution effects in relation to anthropogenic stress, climate change, trophic systems and trophic-energy balances o f the ecosystem. The integrated Monitoring programme has made progress in identifying bio-indicators that describe the system, which will al so help in sylvicultural management. The programme also has various ot her topics under study. The results particularly highlight the effect of climate change over the last ten years. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science L td.