The Baltic Sea Project

ESTIMATION OF AIR QUALITY USING BIOINDICATORS
Test: condition of fir trees, lichens, tar spot fungus – protocol to be sent to co-ordinator

Date: 09.10.2011
School: Kadrina Secondary School
Teacher: Siret Pung
Class/Group: Form 10; Kelly Arula
Address: Rakvere tee 4, Kadrina 45201, Lääne-Virumaa, Estonia

Natural conditions and topographical situation (coastal, inland, mountain, plain): inland; Salda village
Possible local source of pollution: none

I Fir trees

1, 2, 3. Investigating forest damage in fir trees

Name of the tree (fir, spruce or pine): Spruce

Tree no.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Mean value	
1. Needle loss class (1, 2, 3)	
1	
2	
1	
2	
3	
2	
3	
1	
2	
2	
2	
2. No. generations of needles	
3	
2	
3	
3	
2	
3	
3	
5	
4	
4	
3	
3. Occurrence of fear shoots (1, 2, 3)	
1	
1	
1	
2	
1	
2	
1	
1	
2	
1	
1	

II Lichen

1. Counting the number of kinds of different types of lichen

Name of the tree (English or Latin name): Pine

Tree no.	No. kinds of crustose lichen	No. kinds of foliose lichen	No. kinds of fructicose lichen	Zone	
1
	
1	
1	
1	
3	
2
	
1	
1	
0	
2	
3
	
1	
1	
0	
2	
4
	
1	
0	
0	
1	
5
	
1	
1	
0	
2	
			Mean value zone:	
         2	

2. Determining the degree of coverage of the lichen

Name of the tree (English or Latin name): Pine

Tree no.	Coverage of crustose lichen in %	Coverage of foliose lichen in %	Coverage of fructicose lichen in %	Total coverage of the whole overhead film in %	
1
	
10	
20	
20	
50	
2
	
50	
25	
0	
75	
3
	
25	
25	
0	
50	
4
	
90	
0	
0	
90	
5
	
35	
15	
0	
50	
			Mean value :	
                63
	
			Zone :	
                 4	

III Tar Spot Fungus

Name of the maple tree (English or Latin name): Acer platanoides

Zone: 3 

IV Discussion of the result and the state of the air on a separate paper.

The forest near my house at Salda village is influenced by marshy soil. There are a few houses, the closest village road is covered with asphalt, there’s no heavy traffic. Cornifer and lichen are more affected by natural conditions (soil and competition). The number of lichen is small, but they caver more area. Tar Spot Fungus (Rhytisma acerinum) is on local maples. In conclusion we could say the air is relatively clean.