To assess the suitability of dendrochemistry as an indicator of soil acidification, soil chemistry and tree
ring information of Abies fabri were measured at two distinct sites (severe acid deposition site-Emei
Mountain and clean site-Gongga Mountain) of the subalpine forest ecosystems of western Sichuan,
southwest China. The actual soil acidity (pH) was significantly correlated with some of the recent xylem
cation (Ca, Mg, Mn, Al, Sr and Ba) concentrations and their molar ratios. Xylem Ca/Mg and Ca/Mn of
A. fabri were ultimately selected to reconstruct the historical changes of soil pH in Emei Mountain and
Gongga Mountain, respectively. The validity of those rebuild was also verified to a certain extent. We
conclude that xylem cation molar ratios of A. fabri were superior to the single cation concentrations in
soil acidity rebuild at the study sites due to normalizing for concentration fluctuations.