Modelling to help forest managers, the timber industry and policy-makers select multi-purpose management strategies

Summary

This integrated project combined forest sampling, monitoring and stand experimentation, laboratory analysis and timber characterisation studies. The results helped to develop a state-of-the-art model to simulate the impact of forest management strategies and climate change on stand productivity, timber quality, marketability and carbon sequestration. Simulations informed a European-wide analysis of sector performance and suitable management practices under difference climate futures.

Key findings and outputs

• New Europe-wide harmonised datasets on forest growth, tree physiology, anatomy, biochemistry and timber characteristics– a major resource for forest researchers, industry stakeholders and climate change studies
• Development of linked mechanistic, data-driven models of the forestry value chain
• Successful demonstration of a theoretical approach to build predictive models of forest productivity and quality

Our involvement

Forest Research co-ordinated this large-scale, ambitious project involving scientists from Belgium, Finland, Germany and Italy. The team played a pivotal role in developing harmonised sampling and data collection guidelines and protocols as well as contributing data from 10 sites across the UK. Forest Research developed several dynamic models including a coupled soil-forest-atmosphere model for predicting evapo-transpiration (ForestETp) demands.

Publications

• Final project report and appendices

Funders and partners

Funded by the EU Fifth Framework Programme (FP5)

Partners:

• Forest Research, UK (project coordinator)
• Building Research Establishment (BRE), UK
• European Forest Institute, Finland
• University of Antwerp, Belgium
• University of Ghent, Belgium
• University of Tuscany, Italy
• Technical University of Berlin, Germany

Status

2000-2004

Contact

Tim Randle