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SLU Forest Damage Centre

We produce and collect knowledge and competence for the health of the forest.

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Illustrations on SLU Forest DAmage Centre's research areas.

We prevent and monitor forest damage

We research, analyze and monitor forest damage in order to equip the Swedish forest against today's and tomorrow's risks of damage. We create and collect knowledge for forest health.

With a focus on responsible forestry, preservation of natural values, and biological diversity, we contribute to sustainable social development under changing climate conditions.

About us

Research School

The SLU Forest Damage Centre's research school trains doctoral students to get a broad competence in forest damages. Here, you can network with industry and authorities. The research school is open to all doctoral students at SLU.

Shoes on a stone in the forest. Photo.

Monitoring of forest damage

We collect data on damage and populations or agents that cause damage in Swedish forest ecosystems. The data contribute important information to the analysis function within the Centre and governmental work.

Caterpillars of sawflies on a pine. Photo.

Analyst function

The analysis function is an important part of the SLU Forest Damage Centre. Our analysts investigate the risk for national outbreaks, compile knowledge and provide support in the event of outbreaks or other incidents.

A woman stands by a birch in the forest. Photo.

Our projects

Here you find our current and previous projects. We have research projects, environmental monitoring project, pilot studies or development projects connected to forest damage.

Spruce twig. Photo.

Forest damage related news from SLU

  • 12 May 2025 SLU Forest Damage Centre

    Healthy forests in a changing climate – the path to resilient conifers

    A woman in a red jacket looks worried in a forest. Photo. In her doctoral thesis, Matilda Stein Åslund has studied genetic and environmental factors that affect diseases in conifers. This is an important step toward preserving our forests in the ongoing climate change.
  • 24 April 2025 SLU Forest Damage Centre

    SLU launches large-scale climate experiment in Swedish forest

    Forest photographed from the air. Forest growth in Sweden has slowed down. Climate change is believed to play a key role – but exactly how remains unknown. Now, SLU is launching one of the largest field experiments of its kind to find out how earlier snowmelt, drought, and warmer summers affect forest growth and ecosystem functions.
  • 15 April 2025 SLU Forest Damage Centre

    She fighting for European ash

    Portrait of Beatrice Tolio. Photo. Meet Beatrice Tolio, PhD student at SLU Forest Damage Research School. She wants to develope a resistent population of European ash to the fungal pathogen causing ash dieback.
  • 17 February 2025 SLU Forest Damage Centre

    He aims to develop innovative and cost-effective ways to monitor forest damage

    Drone monitor during flight. Photo. Meet Fabio Carrer, a PhD student at the SLU Forest Damage research school. With a background in mathematics, he wants to develop statistical methods and make data collection on forest damage more cost-effective.
  • 12 February 2025 SLU Forest Damage Centre

    She Stress-Tests Trees to Assess Their Resilience to Future Climates

    woman by a tree By exposing seedlings to drought and heat in climate chambers, researcher Leonie Schönbeck aims to determine how trees will cope in the future. “The need to better understand drought and heat tolerance in trees is significant, as it helps us predict their vulnerability to climate change,” says Schönbeck.
More news on forest damage
Published: 05 September 2024 - Page editor: theres.svensson@slu.se
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