A forest site in southern Sweden representative of a wider range of coniferous forest Londscapes has been characterized with respect to aerosol composition (NO−3, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn. Br and Pb). In one series aerosol sampling was carried out simultaneously along a horizontal transect with four stations, one located in open field, one at the forest edge and two within the forest. In another series simultaneous sampling was performed along a vertical transect with four sampling points, one located below but near the canopy top and the others further downwards through the canopy (height c. 25 m). Sampling strategy and analytical methods are presented in detail. Statistical analyses of concentration data suggest that K, Ca, Ti, Mn and Fe in the coarse particle fractions originated from soil, whereas other components (S, V, Cu and Pb) were of mainly anthropogenic origin. Depletion of coarse fraction concentrations within the forest was detected for several elements, whereas spatial variations of fine fraction concentrations showed weak or no systematic trends. This result is interpreted as a net effect of counteracting mechanisms in the forest: losses due to deposition and inputs due to turbulence and gravitationally settling particles.