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The fluxes recovered from washing branches and surrogatesurfaces were compared for two holm oak (Quercus ilex L.)forests in the Montseny mountains (NE Spain) differentiallyexposed to pollution. For 5 periods in May and June 1996 afterexposures ranging between 68–189 hr, 6 metacrylate plates and 8branches were extracted with distilled water. Also, a sequentialwashing of branches was undertaken, with 5 min separationsbetween the 3 initial washes, one hour between the 3rd and the4th, and 6 hr between the 4th and the last one. The compositionwas analysed for PO4 3-, SO4 2-,NO3 -, Cl, F, NH4 +,Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Cu, Pb, Mn, Co, Ni and Zn. The applied techniques were consistent in that dry deposition would accountfor the throughfall fluxes of NO3 -, Cl-,Cu and Zn. Potassium and Mn would derive mostly from leaching and their fluxes were strongly related with the holm oak flower growth. ForMg2+ and SO4 2- either leaching or impaction of small particles or gases (for SO4 2-) could account forthe recovered fluxes. Also for Na+ and Ca2+ the experiments did not produce conclusive results. Ammonium, F, Pb,Co, and Na were under the detection limit of analyticaltechniques in the plate-wash. The exposed site presented higherleaf-wash and plate-wash fluxes for all elements. This wasattributed to its higher exposure to pollutants, and forleaching-derived elements, to its higher site fertility.