Mountaintop forests are the terrestrial areas hardest hit by acid deposition (see photo insert in Figure 18-14). These areas tend to have thin soils without much buffering capacity. And trees on mountaintops (especially conifers such as red spruce and balsam fir) are bathed almost continuously in highly acidic fog and clouds. However, uncontrolled emissions of sulfur dioxide and other pollutants can devastate the vegetation in an area.
Examine how acid