Research and Education Projects
AFFER (2024-2026)
Andean-Finland Forest Education and research (AFFER) is a research and education mobility project to enhance a better and more sustainable use of natural resources both in tropical, andean and boreal ecosystems. Project leaders (UEF): Blas MOLA, Jessenia POLACK.
SINTETIC (2023-2027)
Single item identification for forest production, protection and management (SINTETIC) is a European Horizon Europe innovation programme. The SINTETIC consortium aims to define, prototype and demonstrate a complete solution for a digital platform dedicated to comprehensive forest value chain data management. Once completed, we will be able to track whole trees, stems, boards along the entire value chain, integrating five different tracking systems. Project leader (UEF): Blas MOLA
ECO2ADAPT (2022-2027)
Ecosystem-based Adaptation and Changemaking to Shape, Protect and Maintain the Resilience of Tomorrow’s Forests (ECO2ADAPT) is a European Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101059498. The ECO2ADAPT consortium addresses which bottlenecks render European and Chinese forests socially and ecologically ill-equipped to cope with climate change. Reasons range from inappropriate species choice and planting in unsuitable soils and climates, ill-suited management actions, poor resistance to abiotic and biotic hazards, species invasions, market and political forcing. Also, landowners and foresters are unwilling to invest in plantations in climate hotspots, because of a lack of appropriate insurance premiums if the forest is damaged through storms, fire, drought, insect and pathogen attack. Project leaders (Dpt of Biology): Frank BERNINGER, (School of Forest Sciences): Blas MOLA
Sustainable Management of Forest Resources (2022-2028)
The doctoral network programme on sustainable management of forest resources (SUFORE) is funded by the Chinese Research Council, for the period (2022-2028). The programme will provide with doctoral positions for 3 to 6 students from the North West Agriculture & Forest University in Yangling (China), to perform a doctoral degree at the School of Forest Sciences of the University of Eastern Finland. The main goals are to enable Chinese scholars from NWAFU to visit UEF, foster opportunities for students to publish research papers in high-profile refereed journals and also to receive industrial experience in companies and research institutions and foster opportunities for faculty to collaborate in both basic and applied research. Project leaders (NWA&FU): Guangzhe LIU, (UEF): Blas MOLA, (SLU): Jian HUANG
SYNERGIES (2022-2024)
Enhancing the sustainable integration of wood biomass production with other ecosystem services (SYNERGIES) is an SNS research project (2022-2024). The general aim of the proposed project is to enhance the sustainable production of wood biomass, interlinking current research efforts started in partnering Nordic and Baltic countries. Three main goals are considered: i) identify and assess the main environmental effects of the intensified use of biomass resources in the Nordic area, ii) evaluate and propose alternatives that can align the co-production of biomass production to complementary ES and iii) seek ways to fully implement and realize the resulting strategies and alternatives in existing biomass production practices and supply chains. Project leader (full consortium): Blas MOLA
ECOSERVE (2021-2024)
Training Masters in Ecosystem Services Management in Protected Areas (ECOSERVE) is an Eramus+ project (2021-2024) aiming at enhancing the quality and relevance of partner countries higher education in biological and agricultural sciences by developing innovative study programs according to Bologna practices and networking activities, to meet sustainable development and labour market needs in the field protected areas management. Partner universities in Russian Federation and Mongolia have met in this project to strengthen their educational partnership with non-academic partners in the field of ecosystem services within protected areas, based on national and European standards that account for regional characteristics. Project leader (UEF): Blas MOLA
DecisionES (2021-2025)
Decision Support for the Supply of Ecosystem Services under Global Change (DecisionES) is a Marie S. Curie Horizon 2020 – Research and Innovation Framework Programme (2021-2025) builds on a top-level multidisciplinary expertise (wildfire ecology and management, wildfire behaviour simulation, hydrology, process-based modelling, biodiversity, wildlife management, ecology, water services, operations research, management science, stakeholder engagement, forest ecosystem management planning methods, supply chain management methods and decision support systems) from EU and American (Canada, US, Brazil, Costa Rica and Chile) organisations to address the integration of operational, tactical and strategic forest ecosystem management planning levels and potentiate the supply of ecosystem services at various spatial and temporal scales. Project leader (UEF): Blas MOLA
IEA Task 43 Strategic cooperation (2018-ongoing)
Here there are a list of common projects funded by the International Energy Agency (IEA). The IEA, Task 43 (Biomass) aims to explore technical and economic strategies to increase the quantity of biomass available, improve the quality of biomass delivered for different energy purposes, and explore strategies to increase the value and foster confidence in biomass supply for both direct and cascade use of biomass for energy. Team leader (UEF): Blas MOLA
OPTIMERING (2016-2017)
Optimization of cultivation of lignocellulosic energy crops with regard to socio-economic and environmental sustainability aspects promotes the expansion of lignocellulosic crop systems that provide biomass for energy along with other benefits, by addressing the following questions: which are the most suitable areas for cultivation of lignocellulosic energy crops? what would be the positive and negative effects in such identified areas? (e.g. in terms of soil and water quality, and biodiversity)? how can lignocellulosic crop systems be located and managed to increase resource use efficiency, avoid/mitigate negative effects and promote positive effects, thus achieving optimal outcome for affected stakeholders, environment and associated ecosystem services? how can the results be used to support a participatory process involving policy makers and other stakeholders (civil society, land owners, enterprises, etc) to define strategic plans at varying spatial scales that balance multiple objectives? Project leader (SLU): Ioannis DIMITRIOU
Forest Energy Governance (2014-2015)
Developing Forest Energy governance in Northern Europe build upon the idea that forest energy governance exists as phenomena in each country separately in Northern Europe. However, the interaction between the countries is lacking in this field. The main idea of the seminar was to bring the specialist from Northern Europe in one place to discuss the similarities and common features which can be taken further as an examples of best practices and promoted elsewhere around the globe. Network leader: Blas MOLA.