Table 1.— Sampling locations, major abiotic agent, species, number of trees sampled, and age 

 of sectioned needles of field-collected specimens 



Major 

 abiotic agents 



Collection location 



Species 



Number of 



trees 

 sampled 



Age of 

 sectioned 

 needles 



Hydrogen fluoride 



Anaconda Aluminum Co., 

 Columbia Falls, Mont. 



Rhone Valley, Switzerland 

 (aluminum production) 



Stauffer Chemical Co., 

 Ramsay, Mont, 

 (phosphorus production) 



Pinus contorta 

 Pinus ponderosa 

 Pseudotsuga menziesii 



Pinus sylvestris 



Pinus contorta 

 Pinus ponderosa 



20 

 15 

 10 



10 



Years 

 2 

 2 

 3 



Sulfur dioxide 



ASARCO Lead Smelter, 

 Helena, Mont. 



Anaconda Copper Smelter, 

 Anaconda, Mont. 



Pinus ponderosa 



Pseudotsuga menziesii 

 Pinus contorta 

 Pinus flexilis 



Hydrogen sulfide 



Geothermal Complex, 

 Geyserville, Calif. 



Pinus ponderosa 



2,3 



Sulfur dioxide, 

 hydrogen sulfide, 

 methyl mercaptan 

 complex 



Hoerner-Waldorf Pulp and 

 Paper Mill, Missoula, Mont. 



Pseudotsuga menziesii 25 

 Pinus ponderosa 5 



2,3 

 2 



Winter drying 



Blackfoot Valley, NE of 

 Missoula, Mont. 



East Glacier, Mont. 



Pinus ponderosa 



Pinus contorta 



sulfide, and methyl mercaptan was collected near a pulp and 

 papermill at Missoula, Mont. Specimens representing winter in- 

 jury were collected in the Blackfoot Valley ca. 20 miles east of 

 Missoula, Mont., and near East Glacier, Mont. 



Presence of airborne phytotoxic gases near the industrial 

 sources was assumed. The assumption was based on the publica- 

 tions cited below and on personal knowledge. Air samples were 

 not taken for pollutant analysis at the time foliage samples were 

 collected. Fluoride emissions from an aluminum plant in north- 

 western Montana were described by the State of Montana (1974). 

 Wood (1968) discussed fluorides emitted by phosphorus 

 manufacturing facilities and the release of sulfur dioxide from 

 copper and lead smelting operations. Hydrogen sulfide released 

 from geothermal energy production in California was described 



by Miller,' whereas reduced sulfurs from a pulp and paper mill in 

 western Montana were documented by Berg and others (1973). 

 Carlson and Meyer (1973) documented the occurrence of the 

 winter injury episode in the Blackfoot Valley in western Montana. 



Field-collected specimens were 2 to 3 years old because little 

 necrosis was found on first-year needles, whereas current-year 

 foliage was sampled in the laboratory study. The numbers of 

 field-collected specimens sectioned and observed by causal agent 

 were: fluoride, 64; sulfur dioxide, 16; reduced sulfurs, 30; winter 

 damage, 4; and control, 20. All collected specimens were em- 

 bedded, sectioned, and stained as described for the laboratory 

 study. 



Personal communicalion with Dr. Paul Miller, USDA Forest Service, Riverside, 



Calif. 



3 



