PhD student position in regeneration of continuous cover forests

Description

Swedish society is debating the long-term capacity of even-aged conifer-dominated forestry to reliably produce biomass over the coming century, and simultaneously sustain the breadth of ecosystem services that society increasingly demands from forestlands. Alternative approaches to production forests, such as broadleaf-dominated and continuous cover forestry are thus of growing interest. The increased use of such alternatives may enhance the overall resilience of Swedish forests to projected climate change, better balance the provision of forest ecosystem services, provide vital habitat for forest biodiversity, and thereby help ensure forest ecosystem services delivery over the coming century.

Our goal with this project is to identify cost-effective paths forward for the stand establishment and management of new and already selectively cut mature mixed-temperate broadleaved forests. Specifically, we will answer the following questions: How can natural regeneration and planting be used to regenerate such diverse forests? How does ungulate browsing pressure and proximity to mature broadleaf forests interact to determine best restoration practices? To answer these questions, we will use already existing experiments with selective cutting, survey- and remote sensing data, and collaborate with an excellent multidisciplinary team of international researchers. We are looking for a person who, as part of a PhD, will address these questions.

Place of work      

Alnarp

Starting date

According to agreement. 

More information and how to apply

Apply no later than 15 August 2023.

Read more and apply via the SLU webpage for vacancies - slu.se