Projects
Collection management of forest trees and shrubs Research Institute for Nature and Forest
COBARCHIVES: A long-term view of Congo Basin forest resilience from fossil charcoal and living trees Ghent University
Uncertainty in climate sensitivity of tropical forests is a major constraint in predicting 21st century climate change impacts. Long-term responses are determined by resilience, which is the ability of a forest to absorb disturbances and re-organize under change (through tree mortality and recruitment) to maintain similar functioning and structure. This project aims to disentangle this resilience by quantifying short-term and long-term shifts ...
The functional significance of the diversity in leaf-out phenology of forest trees for understorey plant communities Ghent University
Numerous experimental studies have showed that species diversity may influence ecosystem functioning. Yet, little is known about (1) the functional role of plant diversity in natural ecosystems, especially forests, (2) the importance of organisational levels of biodiversity other than species richness and (3) the relations between biotic groups. Here we will study how the variation in leaf-out timing between trees (U+201Cphenological ...
Effects of tree species diversity on vitality, growth and tree quality of young forest stands. KU Leuven
Land-use intensification is often put forward as a key driver of global change, including biodiversity loss. Although intensification has thoroughly helped solving short-term resource deficits, a sustainable delivery of multiple ecosystems services from high-input low-diversity systems is increasingly disbelieved.
Understanding the linkages between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) therefore evolved into a pivotal line of ...
For Sim Tree - a decision support tool for sustainable forest management based on ecofysiological analysis and simulation of tree development. Ghent University
The strategic objective of the consortium is to develop a physiological forest-wood chain model (SimForTree) which is able to compare and evaluate different sustainable forest management strategies with respect to their impact on wood quality, ecosystem functioning and forest structual development (which is of importance in maintaining ecosystem diversity). The work of the consortium will be developed along three main lines: (i) an ...
Unlocking the driving forces of trees growth and the distributional patterns of Pericopsis elata (Harms) Meeuwen (Fabaceae) to support its long-term sustainability Ghent University
In this doctoral research we will highlight the climate-induced changes in the natural distribution of P. elata. This information will be combined with tree performance in terms of growth and the population structure in terms of size and age distribution to highlight how the actual populations and stocks of P. elata can be sustained over time.
Tree and wood quality research for the Flemish forest and wood sector: evaluation of properties and uses of wood from sustainably managed stocks, supporting the research assignments of INBO Ghent University
This project includes the following priority research points: A. In the context of sustainable forest management and ecological afforestation, longer operating times and more hardwoods are central, is a techno-economic evaluation of the production of the under this policy produce wood necessary. B. Within the framework of the various selection programs programs at the Institute for Forestry and Game Management is looking for cooperation for ...
Adaptation to climate change: the importance of tree diversity for the resilience of forest ecosystems KU Leuven
Resilience is increasingly becoming a guiding principle for forest management, commonly used to describe the ability of a forest to maintain its fundamental structure and functioning despite altered by disturbances. Biotic and abiotic disturbances are an intrinsic element of forest ecosystems. However, climate change is creating substantial new challenges. Forest resilience is closely tied to tree species diversity, anchored in the notion ...