§ Mr. Chris SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the latest information he has about the extent of acid rain damage to Britain's trees.
§ Mr. MacleanRecent studies suggest that tree health can be affected by a variety of stresses such as drought, frost, high winds and pest infection and that exposure to air pollution, including, acid rain, can increase the sensitivity of trees to these, as well as exercising a probably modest direct effect. It is not yet possible to quantify the contribution of these various factors, individually or in combination, though the hot dry summers and autumn gales of some recent years will certainly have placed exceptional stresses on British trees.