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Article: Acid Rain-Caused `Lethal Moss' Another Deadly Threat to Trees
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- April 18, 1988
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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It isn't always acid rain itself that kills trees, a University
of Colorado scientist has found. Often it is the "lethal moss" that
thrives in soils made more acid by the rain.
If mosses grow too thickly under a tree, he determined, their
ability to absorb and hold water can keep the soil so waterlogged
that the tree roots receive little or none of the oxygen they need.
This is the same reason so many house plants die from overwatering.
The mosses create additional acidity. With acid from the rain,
this washes deeper into the soil, breaking down various mineral
compounds to release metal atoms that are toxic to tree roots.
"There has never been conclusive evidence that acid rain is ...