After the Forest management school i worked as a field assistent at the Department of forest improvment between 1980 and 1989, where I took care of the plant nursery the last year. 1989 I was emplyed as a forest technician at our department. My main tasks have been establishment, treatments and revisions of field experiments and to guide and help phd-student with their field work. I have been responsible for the establishment, management and revisions of the Snogeholm lanscape laboratory
(http://www.slu.se/sv/fakulteter/ltj/resurser/snogeholms-landskapslaboratorium/).

After some additional studies I became a phd student in 2005 and in 2010 I defended my thesis Seed production and natural regeneration of beech (Fagus sylvatica F.)
in southern Sweden
(http://diss-epsilon.slu.se:8080/archive/00002240/01/Overgaard_R_100226.pdf).

At the present I work as a post doc in a research program about fastgrowing broadleaf species, TC4F, Future Forests. Our main tasks in this project is to find Populus material that can expand the distribution area and increase the production of Populus in Sweden.

Teaching
I am responsible for the basic forestry course at the Agricultural and rural management programme and I regularly teach at the Swedish journey at the Masters program in forestry and at the Euroforester broadleaf cource.

Selected Scientific Publications
Drobyshev I., Övergaard R., Saygin I., Niklasson M., Hickler T., Karlsson M., Sykes M. 2010. Masting behavior and dendrochronology of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) in southern Sweden Forest Ecology and Management vol. 259 2160–2171.

Övergaard R., Gemmel P., Welander N.T., Witzell J. 2010. Effects of liming on site properties and natural regeneration of European beech Fagus sylvatica in southern Sweden Ecological Bulletins vol. 53 175-183.

Övergaard R., Agestam E., Ekö P-M., Johansson U. 2009. A Method for Natural Regeneration of Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) practised in Southern Sweden. Studia Forestalia Suecica vol. 2009 nr 128 1-30.

Övergaard R., Gemmel P., Karlsson M. 2007. Effects of weather conditions on mast year frequency in beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) in Sweden Forestry vol. 80 555-565.

Selected Popular Science Publications
Övergaard R., Karlsson M. 2008. Det har blivit lättare att föryngra bok Ekbladet vol. 2008 nr 23 13-17.

Övergaard R., Gemmel P., Karlsson M. 2008. Tätare och rikligare ollonår ökar chansen för lyckade bokföryngringar Fakta. Skog vol. 13 2007.

Övergaard R. 2007. Kalkning kan ge bättre bokföryngringr Plantaktuellt vol. 2007 nr nr 2 2. 
 
Övergaard R. 2007. Mer bokollon - en klimateffekt? Plantaktuellt vol. 2007 nr nr 2 1-2.

Hannerz M., Birkedal M., Brunet J., Fritz Ö., Isacsson G., Karlsson M., Löf M., Mattsson L., Nylinder M., Rytter L., Sonesson K., Werner M., Woxblom A-C., Övergaard R. 2007. Kunskap Direkt - Ädellöv vol. Nr 4. 

Övergaard R. 2006. Asp och hybridasp som skärm i bokföryngring 30-31. 
 
Övergaard R. 2006. Poppel- och hybridaspodlingarna i Bjersjölagård och Snogeholm 26-27.