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Nitrogen (N) depositions from the atmosphere have verifiable decreased since the mid-1990s. A closer look at the different regions of Switzerland shows that the regional differences depend on the topographical location and the proximity to ammonia sources. Thus, it is important to know on a regional basis whether N in the form of nitrate is increasingly being leached from forest soils, as this is an indicator of N saturation. It has been shown that nitrate leaching is high where N deposition is high. If N deposition remains constant, it can therefore be assumed that a large proportion of forest areas will continue to accumulate N and the risk of increased nitrate leaching will increase. If N deposition decreases, then the risk of increased nitrate leaching would decrease on long-term.