Developments in Brief : Air Pollution Shares Blame for Tree Damage

Acid rain long has been widely blamed as the chief cause of stunted forests in the United States. But scientists are finding that ozone and other air pollutants are just as much to blame.

Forestry experts said last week that reducing sulfur emissions, the source of acid rain, would not be a panacea for tree damage. In testimony before a congressional subcommittee on forests, Paul Ringold of the Environmental Protection Agency and other experts said a combination of chemical emissions, working in concert with climatic changes and natural stresses, have caused forest growth problems.

They said much of the latest information on tree damage comes from West Germany, where waldsterben-- or forest death--has spread with incredible speed. Only 8% of Germany’s forests were ailing in 1982, but by 1985, 52% of the country’s forests were afflicted. Ozone, a highly toxic gas, is formed when nitrogen oxides from automobiles and industrial sources mix with oxygen in the presence of sunlight.