Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre

The centre of excellence Trees For Me at SLU is receiving an additional 43,3 million kronor from the Swedish Energy Agency. This brings the total funding from various partners to a quarter of a billion kronor over ten years – Sweden's largest ever investment in broadleaf tree research.

New research from SLU shows that today’s forest management plans often struggle to capture forest owners’ diverse goals — and that current planning systems are not designed to support a broader landscape perspective.

Can fast-growing production-oriented forests also contribute to biodiversity? A new study from SLU, led by PhD student Jaime Luna, suggests that stands of fast-growing broadleaved trees (FGB) may be more relevant than previously recognized.

The project investigates how to establish and manage mixed broadleaved continuous cover forests, where they are most successful, and how clear-cut-free methods impact timber production, carbon sequestration, biodiversity, and the balancing of different interests.

This research project will particularly investigate the potential of planted silver birch for future sustainable forest production in Sweden.

Climate change is happening so rapidly that many tree species can’t adapt in time. Researchers are now exploring ways to give them a helping hand – through so-called assisted migration. The project focuses on how we can adapt Swedish forests to a warmer climate.

FRAS aims to develop and share evidence-based knowledge on forest management for sustainable forestry in southern Sweden. This is done in close collaboration with the regional forest industry and in dialogue with other stakeholders affected by forestry.

The project includes the establishment and evaluation of thinning trials in spruce, pine, lodgepole pine (contorta), hybrid larch, birch, and oak across Sweden.

How can forest planning and advisory services be developed to support more diversified family forestry? This is what the project aims to investigate in close collaboration between SLU, Umeå University, the forest owners' association Södra, and the Swedish Forest Agency.

Our lab, at Southern Swedish Forest Science Centre, focuses on the biology, ecology, and epidemiology of both native and non-native tree pests and pathogens—organisms that inflict significant ecological and economic damage across both forest and urban landscapes.

We conduct research on conservation ecology, plant ecology, forest history, and plant-animal interactions – knowledge that supports decisions on how forests can preserve biodiversity and be managed sustainably in Sweden and globally.

We conduct research on forest management in both coniferous and broadleaved forests in Sweden and other parts of the world. The research focuses on forest production, regeneration, and silviculture, as well as how forestry can support diverse goals and values and help mitigate climate change.

Our research spans forest planning and advisory services to forest policy, gender equality, and societal transitions – with a focus on both local landscapes and global perspectives.