There is evidence of the spread of acid precipitation from the northeast to all the states east of the Mississippi River. In view of this a short-term assessment program was initiated by the Environmental Protection Agency in April 1979 to survey the scope of the acid rain problem in the United States. This survey was based primarily on existing information and to a lesser degree, on a series exposure experiments conducted at the EPA experimental farm in Corvallis, Oregon. The field studies examined the effects of acidity on field crops and certain forest processes. These short term findings will be useful in formulating a long-term research effort.