Researchers focus on how forests adapt to climate change: Forests play an important role in the European carbon cycle, but they are also vulnerable to climate change. The EU-funded ASFORCLIC project will focus on the forest wood value chain. Coordinated by the Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic, the project will bring together institutes from Germany, Sweden, Slovenia and Austria to research the effects of the changing environment on forest tree composition, structural composition, health and growth and analyse different adaptation strategies. They will also study new wood materials under anticipated changes in wood assortments and properties. The project will define joint research avenues and focus on the support provided to early-stage researchers.
In order to support the ambitious goals to raise the research profile of the coordinating institution and strengthen its research excellence in the highly demanding field of global climate change impact on the forest and whole bio-based sector-leading institutions agreed to collaborate on the jointly proposed project. The central European forests and its wood industry are facing strong and rapid changes - the most prominent being the Global Climate Change. The presented twinning proposal ‘Adaption strategies in forestry under global climate change impact’ (ASFORCLIC) analyses and prepares the forest-wood value chain for these changes including higher appearance and use of the lesser-used wood species. Over the last years, the Mendel University in Brno (MENDELU) has become a nucleus for an expert forum of partners in Central, Northern and Eastern Europe that facilitates integrated research activities and enhances communication among scientists, technologists, policy decision-makers, economists, and the public. Within the project, the participating institutions will form three working groups (WGs): (1) forest production and environment – (2) wood quantity and qualities – (3) market, economics and policy. WG1 focuses on the effects of the changing environment on forest tree composition and structural composition, health and growth, and analyses different adaption strategies. WG2 studies the utilization of new wood-material under anticipated changes in wood assortments and properties. New material can be adapted and modified, or even be used for completely new products on the market. WG3 will accompany the changes in forests and wood products from an economic perspective and investigate how political decisions support promising adaption strategies. The project focuses on the definition of joint research avenues within and also gives specifically focus on the support provided to the Early-stage researchers.
Project timetable: 21-01-01 - 23-12-31
Funders: EU Horizon
Project coordinator:: MENDELOVA UNIVERZITA V BRNE, Tjeckien
Project participants SLU: Geoffrey Daniel (Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology), Igor Drobyshev (Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre), Anders Roos (Department of Forest Economics)
Project budget total: 895 000 EUR
Project budget SLU: 134 250 EUR