Anne-Maarit Hekkala

My research interests fall broadly on forest biodiversity, conservation and restoration of biodiversity in boreal forests. My main research questions have been how different forest restoration and alternative forest menagement methods that resemble natural disturbances (forest fire, small-scale storm damage, gap-cutting, uneven-age managemet), can affect biodiversity in short- and long-term in boreal forest systems. To study short-term effects, I have used deadwood-dependent beetles and flat bugs, primary bark beetles, pollinators, polypores, forest floor vegetation and tree stand structure as study objects. Currently I work on questions related to measures of biodiversity, how to best recognize forests stands that should be conserved and what are the best proxies of biodiversity. In addition, I study the networks of species dependent on deadwood and wild pollinators in my Formas-project, assess how Sveaskog's Ecoparks affect biodiversity of beetles and wild bees in the long term collaboration project with Sveakog and I’m involved on projects of ecological offsetting, short-rotation broadleaf tree management, uneven-aged forestry, to mention some exaples of the broadness of my research.

Course leader in the distance course Forest Animals, assistant course leader in the distance course Forest Conservation Biology. I teach in various courses in class, in the field and in recorded lectures about biodiversity, restoration, red-listing, and species recognition (indicator species, insects).

Collaboration with Sveaskog (Effekt 20, project leader))

Collaboration with Stora Enso (KPI, Key performance indicators)

Collaboration with Boliden (AITIK coppar mine, ecological compensation)

12/2017-        Researcher, Dept. of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden

12/2015 -

11/2017         Postdoc, Dept. of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden

07.11.2015    PhD in Ecology, Dept. of Ecology, University of Oulu, Finland

2011-2015     PhD-student, Dept. of Ecology, University of Oulu and Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE), Finland.

2008-2010     Part-time Researcher, Finnish Forest Research Institute, Oulu, Finland

2005-2007     Researcher, Finnish Forest Research Institute, Oulu, Finland.

2005    MSc, Animal ecology, Dept. of Biology, University of Oulu, Finland.

Since 2022 I have been  the coordinator of PhD-students (studierektor) at the department.

Main supervisor for PhD-students

2019-2025 Paulina Bergmark (The importance of green infrastructure for biodiversity of deadwood-dependent insects and fungi)

Assistant supervisor for PhD-students

2019-2023 Olov Tranberg (Translocation of deadwood and associated species as means to improve ecological compensation)

2020-2025 Lukas Holmström (Thinning forests contribution to biodiversity)

2022-2026 Joseph Anderson (Effects of ungulate browsing and grazing on forest biodiversity- evaluating the intermediate disturbance hypothesis in boreal forest ecosystems)

2022-2026 Jaime Luna (The biodiversity implications of short-rotation broadleaved trees)

I  yearly supervise 1-2 MSc theses and 1-2 BSc theses.