Disturbances, such as forest fires, storms, or insect outbreaks are an essential part of the how forests, their structures, and their biodiversity are shaped throught time. In the research group for Forest Disturbance Ecology, we study the disturbance dynamics, biodiversity, and long-term development of boreal forests and the treeline ecotone. Currently, our research focuses on
(1) wildfires, their occurrence and impact on the natural development of forests and the formation of forest structures,
(2) deadwood and its role in maintaining biodiversity and carbon cycling
(3) the role of disturbances in treeline areas undergoing rapid change, as well as
(4) the natural development of forests in protected areas.
We utilize a wide range of methods and data sources, from field measurements to laboratory analyses and remote sensing. However, our particular expertise is in dendrochronology, and we run one of the few tree ring labs in Finland. Additionally, we maintain permanent monitoring plots in naturally developing forests.
Our teaching is closely connected to these topics, and we are responsible for courses in Ecological Basis of Forest Biodiversity Conservation, Ecological Structures of Forests, and, in collaboration, Restoration Ecology at the Department of Forest Sciences.
