Join our MSc thesis project, where you'll analyse seed collection data from a beech regeneration experiment, replicated across four sites.
This study involves both lab-based data analysis and fieldwork in autumn, focusing on quantifying annual seed variation under different treatments such as continuous-cover forestry with gap cutting, target diameter cutting, and shelterwood systems. While parts of the data have already been collected, additional fieldwork will be required.
There is growing interest in alternative forest management approaches, especially regarding multifunctional forests and ecosystem services. Practices like clear-cutting-free forestry are underutilized but could meet future demands.
In Sweden, beech forests now cover only about a fifth of their original area due to past practices favoring conifer species. As climate change progresses and demand for beech products increases, beech could become more important in southern Sweden in the future. However, knowledge about alternative management methods, as well as beech recruitment patterns and regeneration dynamics, is still limited. This highlights the need for further research to support sustainable forest management.