Three people working with water sampling on a floating platform made of plastic, in a lake.
Three field assistants taking water samples on the SITES AquaNet-platform at Svartberget. Photographer: Andreas Palmén

Infrastructures and initiatives

Page reviewed:  30/04/2025

The Unit is part of and manages several infrastructures around the country

Participation in National and International Initiatives

The Unit for Forest Field Research contributes its entire portfolio of long-term forest field trials to the Swedish Research Council's initiative SITES (Swedish Infrastructure for Ecosystem Science). The stations at Svartberget and Asa also participate in all three thematic programs within SITES: SITES Water, SITES AquaNet, and SITES Spectral. SITES brings together nine field stations from across Sweden, offering unique infrastructure and technical expertise for ecosystem research in natural environments.

The unit is also responsible for SLU’s involvement in two additional research infrastructures funded by the Swedish Research Council: ICOS Sweden (Integrated Carbon Observation System) and ACTRIS Sweden (Aerosols, Clouds and Trace Gases Research Infrastructure). Both have measurement stations located at the Svartberget Experimental Forest. ICOS focuses on the research and monitoring of greenhouse gases, while ACTRIS provides infrastructure for studying and observing short-lived climate forcers and air pollutants. ICOS and ACTRIS are closely linked through the co-location of their observational stations.

Activities Outside the Experimental Forests

The unit's long-term forest field trials are spread across the country, with the majority located on land outside of the designated experimental parks. We also provide staff and resources to support other research projects situated outside the parks.

  • Asa high-yield experimental forest – A large-scale research arena with the goal of increasing timber production by 50%
  • Degerö – One of the most intensively studied mires in the Northern Hemisphere
  • Flakaliden – Plots aimed at demonstrating the potential productivity of Norway spruce under northern climatic conditions
  • Krycklan – A unique field research area for studying the interactions between hydrological, biogeochemical, and ecological processes within a single ecosystem
  • Rosinedal – Research on how nitrogen input affects tree growth

 

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