Forest Ecosystem Physiology

(Mencuccini, Clement, Salmon, Guerrieri, Cohen, Mizunuma, Nair, Lonsdale, MackIntosh, Leslie)

The overall objectives of our research are the study of the impacts of climate change, ecosystem development and forest management practices on the physiology of trees and forest ecosystems. In more detail, there are five major lines of research that we are currently pursuing: a) description and interpretation of the changes in carbon sequestration of forest stands of different ages and the impact of forest management practices; b) development of spatial modelling tools for the integration of forest carbon budgets at the landscape scale; c) the impact of nitrogen deposition on the forest carbon cycle; d) the effects of global change on the carbon balance of forest ecosystems, particularly with respect to drought in the Mediterranean; e) the importance of carbon sequestration for coastal African mangroves and the possibilities to use payments for ecosystem services to facilitate their conservation and restoration.