Book Description

In the early 1970s it was estimated that de-icing applications were directly responsible for the deaths of over 700,000 trees annually in Western Europe. Today, however, the situation is probably much worse as rock salt (sodium chloride) is being used for de-icing in ever-increasing quantities on the roads. In this bulletin the world literature on the subject is examined. It looks at the symptoms of de-icing salt damage, species tolerance to de-icing salt and mechanisms of salt toxicity; and provides an evaluation of the methods for reducing salt damage. Not only trees are damaged - salt promotes concrete decay, ruins roads, causes cars to rust and is detrimental to the environment. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the effects and the necessary alternatives to de-icing with rock salt.