Forest health and disturbances
Biotic and abiotic disturbances play a role in forest dynamics. We study pest and pathogens and how their impact is related to globalization, land use change and climate change. Our approach is to understand how pathogens interact with the environment and compete with other non-pathogenic microorganisms in order to cause disease. We also study how host and stand conditions influence disease development in order to give recommendations to forest managers. In relation to abiotic disturbances, we work on the use of new technologies to assess and model fire risk. We are also developing new fire management approaches with the aim of enhancing landscape resilience and resistance to future fire regimes. Finally, we study the interactions between different types of disturbances (drought, fire and pests) and we analyze the pertinence of different forests management strategies to tackle their effects.
