Forest and wood
Forestry and the forest industry are major economic sectors in Sweden. The forest is a carbon sink since it binds carbon dioxide while growing. Branches, tree tops and stumps are currently more used as bioenergy after felling. Forests are also the habitat of many animals and plants, and a vital source of outdoor leisure activities, such as hunting, fishing and hiking. The objectives of SLU research are to gain a better understanding of the different functions of the forests and to make best possible use of the opportunities it offers. Some areas of research are forest economy, biology, ecology, soil and wood sciences. Forest growth, development and environmental changes are reported yearly in the Swedish National Forest Inventory. This work is included in SLU's Environmental Monitoring and Assessment programme Forest, which further develops SLU's role as a centre of excellence for Swedish and international environmental analysis in the forest sector.
Phytophthora in Sweden
Species from the genus Phytophthora are predicted to cause increasing problems related to plant health in the future, also in Sweden. To protect us and our trading partners, up-to-date knowledge is
Database led to breakthrough in forest research
Collaboration can be the catalyst for groundbreaking research, as demonstrated by the GFBI database, which has led to major breakthroughs in biodiversity science. Systematic forest data have been
Pests and pathogens cause devastation in nature reserves
It may be tempting to perceive damaged forests as primarily a problem for the forest owner or the industry. A factor affecting price on wood, but of limited importance to society. Pests and pathogens
Ph.D. course
A PhD course in the Krycklan catchment September 19-25, 2024. ‘Watershed Ecology and Biogeochemistry’ addresses the foundational concepts and modern challenges within the broad field of watershed
Wood use and size of living area in future housing crucial for climate change mitigation
Substituting concrete with wood in multi-family housing construction will benefit the climate as long as our living area does not increase. Cross-laminated timber frame enables taller buildings but
Reading list 2024
Thursday, Sept 19. Fundamentals of watershed science Borman and Likens. (1967). Nutrient Cycling. Science. 155 no. 3761 pp. 424-429 Laudon, H. and Sponseller, RA (2018). How landscape organization
Awaiting the next summer of fires
Prolonged heat, very limited rainfall, and frequent lightning are all factors that increase the risk of forest fires. The summer of 2018 is a good example, when 7,000 fires destroyed well over 22,000
Wind damages expected to increase in a warmer climate
In spite of elks, spruce beetles and pathogenic fungi, wind is probably the largest cause of economic loss for European forestry. A number of reports in recent years investigates how the risk of wind
What happens to fungi and ecosystem processes if forest fires become more common?
With global warming, there is a larger risk of fire. How will that affect ecologically important fungi in the soil? SLU researchers investigated the 2014 wildfire areas in Västmanland to find out.
New knowledge on phosphorus in forest soils and the benefits of wood ash fertilization
Whole-tree harvesting for biofuel production and natural phenomena such as weathering and podzolization, affect soil nutrient availability for tree uptake. A new doctoral thesis reveals new knowledge
A global observatory to monitor biodiversity
At a time of unprecedented decline in Earth’s biodiversity, scientists are calling for a new system for monitoring and providing the data needed for decision making and conservation action. Earth’s
Advances in pine weevil resistance research may result in new weapons to battle the bugs
In October 2023, the remaining exemptions to the ban on insecticides in pine weevil control will be discontinued in Swedish forestry. That is why a wide array of alternative control methods have been