Research

Optimising forest operations for sustainable forest management & high-value applications - OptiForValue.

FRESH is a research collaboration founded in 2012 between the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and the University of Gothenburg (GU) which aims to increase knowledge and awareness about fish welfare.

Up to 20% of farmed salmonids die before reaching slaughter. This occurs during stressful situations such as delousing, deteriorating water quality, and transport. This is a serious welfare issue, and prevents a sustainable, ethical and economical growth of the Nordic aquaculture industry.

The new EU Nature Restoration Law can be an important tool to form a coherent strategy on peatland restoration. A new SLU study shows that todays policies and regulations is fragmented and sometimes contradictory – something that makes it difficult to reach Swedish climate and conservation goals.

Deciduous trees and annual plants rely on the same ancestral genes, but evolution has assigned them different tasks. Now researchers from Sweden and China show that aspen trees use flowering-related genes to stop growth as winter approaches - yet in the opposite way compared to annual plants.

Conservation agriculture is a system where the aim is to disturb the soil as little as possible. It involves sowing directly into the residues from the previous crop without tillage. Now researchers are warning that the benefits that are sought may be jeopardized by the use of heavy machinery.

An extensive archive of bore core samples was given a new lease of life as a resource for forest researchers. One of the researchers benefiting from the archive is Kelley Bassett. Using the bore cores, she produces new knowledge about forest growth and health.

Recent advances in biosensor technology offer new opportunities to monitor fish welfare in aquaculture. However, before new biosensors can be put to use, their suitability and potential applications must be carefully evaluated.

Facilitators of collaborative policy making on sustainability issues often face heated debates and conflicting truths. They are on the front lines when facts are contested and emotions run high. A study explores their experiences and presents strategies for navigating post-truth situations.