EXCELLENTIA - Centre for Forest Ecosystem Research at FFWT MENDELU
The five-year HE project "ERA Chair: Striving for Excellence in the Forest Ecosystem Research" (EXCELLENTIA) started in May 2023 and aims to create a top interdisciplinary research group in forest ecosystem research.
The team will use a unique range of stands with different tree diversity and silvicultural approaches to study, among other things, how tree diversity interacts with soils, symbiotic fungi and root pathogens (and other members of the soil microbiome) under a changing climate and different forest management practices. The ultimate aim is to assess how different silvicultural approaches contribute to the stability of forest ecosystems to meet both ecological and sociological needs in future forests. Drought, susceptibility or resistance of tree root systems to pathogen attack, tree interactions in mixtures, and the provision of various ecosystem services (including socio-economic aspects, habitat provision, C sequestration and nutrient cycling) are among the issues that scientists will address in the project. EXCELLENTIA will thus provide new insights into the climate-vulnerable Central European and global forest ecosystems and the needs of society - with a particular focus on linking above-ground characteristics to the less explored "hidden half" of forest ecosystems below ground.
Under the leadership of Prof. Douglas Godbold, the project will link with major European and international initiatives and projects and develop its own cutting-edge research programme - creating a focal point for forest ecosystem research in the Czech Republic and beyond. The group will make full use of the University Forest Enterprise Masaryk Forest Křtiny (UFE), the 10500 ha university-owned research forest just a few minutes' drive from the faculty. UFE provides a unique research opportunity due to its diverse soil and tree composition. Tree growth has been measured continuously on several research plots established since 1973. The group will therefore build on existing data and the ongoing research programme at the Faculty.
In addition to the scientific objectives, the project will facilitate structural changes in sustainable research and innovation, intellectual property and research data management, and career guidance at FFWT and Mendel U. The plan includes e.g. online training focused on scientific ethics and skills for scientists. The project will work closely with the MENDELU Central Library Services in the field of Open Science and aims to disseminate results to various stakeholders, from forest practitioners to school students and the general public.
The EXCELLENTIA research team has the same status as other institutes at FFWT MENDELU. Prof. Libor Jankovský, Head of the Department of Forest Protection and Wildlife Management and Dean of FFWT MENDELU, is coordinating EXCELLENTIA. The "ERA Chair: Striving for Excellence in Forest Ecosystem Research" will be implemented from 1.5.2023 to 30.4.2028 with the aim of establishing a new research group at the FFWT.
Contact persons for more information:
prof. Douglas Lawrence Godbold, Ph.D., Era Chair, Department of Forest Protection and Wildlife Management FFWT MENDELU, +420 545 134 065, douglas.godbold@mendelu.cz
prof. Dr Ing. Libor Jankovský, head of the Department of Forest Protection and Wildlife Management FFWT MENDELU, +420 739 341 961, libor.jankovsky@mendelu.cz
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