The greenhouse gas carbon dioxide is fixed in wood when a tree is growing. The faster a plant is growing the more carbon dioxide is taken out of the atmosphere. Besides carbon trees need nitrogen to grow. Normally, this nitrogen originates from soil processes. But added nitrogen via air pollution originating from agriculture, industry and transport will stimulate tree growth.

Nitrogen is a nutrient for plant species. However, they all have their specific preference for the amount of nitrogen. Due to excessive nitrogen deposition many rare species are out competed and are threatened with extinction. To save the threatened species the EU and its member states have a pollution control policy strategy to reduce the nitrogen deposition. Species will then recover, but mainly outside forests, e.g. in grassland and heathland.

To remove the excess nitrogen from natural areas extra frequent management, such as sod cutting, mowing etc, is carried out. This extra management is costly. When the nitrogen deposition drops, savings of approximately one quarter of the amount of money spent on management in The Netherlands.