Acid rain releases these fertilizers to be washed out of the soil, leaving the soil depleted of nutrients. But that is not the end of the problem. The tree roots provide sustenance to the mycorrhiza, and the mycorrhiza help the tree roots gather water and nutrients from the soil. Acid rain kills mycorrhiza, thus further reducing the ability of trees to absorb water and nutrients from the soil. And that's not all.
Acid rain kills off portions of the detritus food chain.
The litter prevents new saplings from taking root - they can't reach through the litter to make contact with the soil below. This is not a complete description of problems caused by acid rain, but it gives a sense of the complexity of ecosystems and how they can become unbalanced by persistent and thoughtless human intrusions. But one would be disappointed. Throughout the book, author Charles Little describes studies and statements by the U.S. Forest Service downplaying the importance of tree disease and death. The following year the U.S. Forest Service issued a report saying that 90 percent of the sugar maples surveyed were healthy and the overall numbers and volume of sugar maples were increasing.