Anneli Adler

I am an ecologist and researcher focusing on sustainable and climate-adapted forest production systems in Northern Europe. My research explores innovative solutions for resource-efficient wood production, biodiversity enhancement, and climate and environmental benefits, with a particular interest in pioneer broadleaved tree species and emerging forest-based value chains. Having spent more than a decade in both academia and the forest sector, including positions at SweTree Technologies AB and Stora Enso Skog AB, I combine perspectives from research, tree breeding, and operational forestry. This experience provides valuable insights into the practical opportunities and challenges of implementing sustainable forestry solutions.

My research focuses on innovative solutions for sustainable and climate-adapted forestry in the Nordic region, grounded in ecological principles. I work on issues related to resource-efficient wood biomass production, climate and environmental benefits, and biodiversity conservation. An overarching goal is to understand how production systems based on pioneer broadleaves can contribute to resilient landscapes and the development of new sustainable value chains. One example is research exploring the potential for producing textile fibres from pioneer broadleaved tree species in Nordic landscapes. Such a development requires increased biomass availability from pioneer broadleaves, raising important questions related to land use, reforestation, and landscape planning.

I am a course leader for the masters’ course in forest regeneration SV0057 (7,5 credits) and for the In-depth course in forest regeneration for PhD-students (5 credits) PFS0158.  

I am one of the teachers on the graduate course on Forest Management Methods within the Euroforester program at SLU, Alnarp (30 credits). Course leader Prof. Emma Holmström.

During my previous employment at the Department of Crop Production Ecology I have been one of the teachers on the following graduate courses:

Lantbruksvetenskap för mark/växtagronomer (15 credits) / Agricultural science for the program soil and plant sciences, course leader Dr. Ida Kollberg, SLU, spring semester 2024

Agroforestry (15 credits), course leader Doc. Linda-Maria Dmitrova, SLU, autumn semester 2021-2023

I have been one of the teachers on the following PhD-courses:

Production of non-food biomass (3 ECTS credits) – course leader Doc. Ioannis Dimitriou, SLU

Experimental approaches in plant growth analysis and phenotyping (15 credits), course leader Prof. Martin Weih, SLU

ELLS Summer School Bioeconomy (6 ECTS credits), July 31st – August 11th 2023 https://www.euroleague-study.org/en/bioeconomy-2023, course leader Prof. Martin Weih, SLU

Publications on forestry:

Cagnoni, L., Weih, M.., Adler, A., Guillemot, J. and Brancalion, P.H.S. 2026. How Mixed Are Production-Oriented Planted Forests? A Global Review and Classification Approach. Global Change Biology, 32, no. 9: e71111. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.71111

Cagnoni, L., Guillemot, J Adler, A., Weih, M.., Morsello, C., Orazio, Ch., Deuffic, Ph., Correia, A.C., Lafuente, D. and Brancalion, P.H.S. 2026. Stakeholders’ perspectives on barriers and pathways toward the diversification of planted forests. Ambio https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-026-02425-8. 

Muraro, L., Adler, A. and Böhlenius, H. 2025. Effect of Ash, Lime, and Bio-Char on the Establishment of Poplars on Forest Land and Forested Arable Land. Bioenergy research 18(1), article no 29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-025-10831-1 

Adler, A., Karacic, A., Apuli, R.-P., Rönnberg Wästljung, A.C., Hertzberg, M., T., Weih, M. and Ingvarsson, P.K. (2023). Molecular Selection Tools in Adaptive Phenology of Populus trichocarpa Breeds for the Nordic-Baltic Region. In: El-Esawi, M.A. (ed.): Updates in Plant Breeding. Publisher: IntechOpen, Rijeka, Croatia. Published online Oct 23rd 2023. https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/1151715 

Cagnoni L., Weidlich, E.W.A, Guillemot, J., Morselo, C., Weih, M., Adler, A. and Brancalion, P.H.S. 2023. Stakeholders’ perspectives of species diversity in tree plantations: A global review. Current Forestry Reports, Vol. 9 (4), 251-262. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40725-023-00194-1. 

Adler, A., Kumaniaev, I., Karacic, A., Baddigam, K.R., Hanes, R.J., Subbotina, E., Bartling, A.W., Huertas-Alonso, A.J., Moreno, A., Håkansson, H., Mathew, A.P., Beckham, G.T and Samec J.S.M. 2022. Lignin-first biorefining of Nordic poplar to produce cellulose fibers could displace cotton production on agricultural lands. Joule 6(8), 1845-1858. DOI: 10.1016/j.joule.2022.06.021 https://www.cell.com/joule/fulltext/S2542-4351(22)00295-1. 

Rönnberg Wästljung, A.C., Adler, A., Karacic, A., Liepins, K., Richards, T.J., Ingvarsson, P.K., and Weih, M. 2022. Phenotypic plasticity in Populus trichocarpa clones across environments in the Nordic-Baltic region. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research 37(1), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1080/02827581.2022.2039279 

Adler, A., Karacic, A., Rönnberg Wästljung, AC., Johansson, U., Liepinš, K., Gradeckas, A. and Christersson, L. 2021. Variation of growth and phenology traits in poplars planted in clonal trials in Northern Europa – implications for breeding. BioEnergy Research 14(2), 426-444. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-021-10262-8.

Vico, G., Karacic, A., Adler, A., Richards, TJ and Weih, M. 2021. Consistent poplar clone ranking based on leaf phenology and temperature along a latitudinal and climatic gradient in Northern Europe. BioEnergy Research 14(2), 445-459. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-021-10249-5.

Karacic, A., Adler, A., Weih, M. and Christersson, L. 2021. An analysis of poplar growth and quality traits to facilitate identification of climate-adapted plant material for Sweden. BioEnergy Research 14(2), 409-425. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-020-10210-y.

Clifton-Brown, J., Harfouche, A., Casler, M., Jones, H.D., Macalpine, W., Murphy-Bokern, D., Smart, L., Adler, A., Ashman, Ch., Awty-Carroll, D., /…/, Lewandowski, I. 2018. Breeding progress and preparedness for mass-scale deployment of perennial lignocellulosic biomass crops swithgrass, miscanthus, willow and poplar. GCB Bioenergy 11(1), 118-151. DOI: 10.111/gcbb.12566.

Publications on agriculture:

Scheper, J., Kleijn, D., Klebl, F., Adler, A., Báldi, A., Bartomeus, I., Bretagnolle, V., De Vries, J.P.R., Gaba, S., Ganz, M., Herrera, J.M., Herzog, F., Hood, A.S.C., Jeanneret, Ph., Kernecker, M., Leander Oh K.., Molina, F.P., Mendes, V.S., Molnár, C., Öckinger, E., Pérez-Gómez, Á., Potts, S.G., Rivera, V., Szabó G., Van Paassen, J., Vajna, F., Velado-Alonso, E. and Häfner, K. 2026. Farmers' attitudes towards biodiversity shape the effectiveness of biodiversity-friendly management practices for wild bees, but not plants and spiders. Biological Conservation, Volume 322, article no 112049. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2026.112049.

Scherfranz, V., Moon, K., Kantelhardt, J., Adler, A., Barreiro, S., Bodea F.V., Bretagnolle, V., Brönnimann, V., de Vries, J.P.R., Dos Santos, A., Ganz, M., Herrera, J.M., Hood, A.S.C., Leisch, F., Mauchline, A., Melts, I., Popa, R., Girón, V.M.R., Ruck, A., Vajna, F., Velado-Alonso, E. and Schaller, L. 2024. Using a perception matrix to elicit farmers‘ perceptions towards stakeholders in the context of biodiversity-friendly farming. Journal of Rural Studies, Vol.108, article no 103282. DOI 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103282

Klebl, F., Parisi, A., Häfner, K., Adler, A., Barreiro, S., Bodea, F.V., Brönnimann, V., de Vries, JPR., Dos Santos, A., Hood, ASC., Melts, I., Popa, R., Vajna, F., Velado-Alonso, E., Kernecker, ML. 2024. How values and perceptions shape farmers' biodiversity management: insights from ten European countries. Biological Conservation, Vol. 291, article no 110496. DOI 10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110496

Visiting adress: Ulls väg 16, Ecology Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Campus Ultuna, Uppsala, Sweden

Postal address: Ecology Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O.-Box 7043, SE-750 07, Uppsala, Sweden