“…The nutritional status of coniferous stands was assessed by chemical analysis of the concentrations of nutrients in halfyear-old needles at the crown top of representative trees (about ten sample trees per stand) performed in fall, when a b Stand height refers to mean height of sample trees at age 50 at stump height 0.2 m. Yield Tables used as growth reference: Scots pine stands: sites 202, 203 Wiedemann (1949), sites 801-807 Lembcke et al (1975Lembcke et al ( , 2000, sites 1,501, 1,519, 1,523 Vuokila and Väliaho (1980), Norway spruce stands: sites 201, 301 Assmann and Franz (1963), sites 601, 602 Marschall (1992), sites 1,510, 1,524, 1,525 Vuokila and Väliaho (1980) seasonal fluctuations of nutritional levels are at a minimum (Wehrmann 1959) (Diagnostic Foliar Analysis). The plausibility of the values was checked by the ranges applied by FIMCI (EC-UN/ECE 2000).…”