NIEPOLOMICE FOREST - A GIS ANALYSIS OF ECOSYSTEM RESPONSE TO INDUSTRIAL-POLLUTION

The Niepolomice Forest is located near the city of Krakow (Southern Po land). Since the erection of large iron works in the 1950's, the fores t has suffered from heavy pollution with SO2 and industrial dusts cont aining heavy metals. During the last IO years this impact was signific antly reduced. In the same period the Niepolomice Forest ecology has b een intensively studied. With the advent of modern, computer intensive techniques, data gathered in the past are being reanalysed with respe ct to the spatial and temporal variation of the forest ecosystem respo nse to the industrial pollution. To that end, the effects of natural c onditions (soil, vegetation) and of industrial pollution (heavy metals , sulphur dioxide) upon the pine stands (tree volume increment, crown injuries) in the Niepolomice Forest were studied using a geographic in formation system. Procedures of statistical analysis involving bootstr apping were developed. Results suggest fertilization of forest stands due to industrial pollution, an effect not revealed in former studies. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.