Press "Enter" to skip to content

Category: Resilience

From pixels to pines: exploring Bulgaria’s Rhodopes ForestsExploring Bulgarian forests

From pixels to pines: exploring Bulgaria’s Rhodopes Forests

Published February 4, 2026 by Gesche Schifferdecker

#RestorationStory by Annabel Burg, Sietse van der Woude, and Niamh Kelly

It was the last day of June 2025 when our small group set out from Schiphol Airport. Traveling with us, three PhD students from Wageningen University and Research, were two colleagues: Gert-Jan Nabuurs, Professor of European Forest Resources at Wageningen University, and Thomas Groen, Associate Professor of Remote Sensing at the University of Twente. Our destination was Bulgaria – a country that, until then, most of us knew little about. We were curious, not only about its history and culture, but especially about its landscapes. Despite its modest size, Bulgaria is blessed with mountains, rivers, caves, and lakes. More than one-third of the country is covered by forests, making it one of Europe’s most densely forested and biodiverse nations.

Continue readingFrom pixels to pines: exploring Bulgaria’s Rhodopes Forests
Leave a Comment
Researching the unacknowledged: A young Belgian researcher’s journey to understand the hidden world of forest soils

Researching the unacknowledged: A young Belgian researcher’s journey to understand the hidden world of forest soils

Published November 26, 2025 by Rina Tsubaki

By Rina Tsubaki.

Soil might not be the first thing you notice when walking through a nearby forest. But it’s a quiet, hidden guardian that our forests depend on. It connects trees, insects, and fungi in ways we often overlook. Many soil organisms feed on dead plant residues, making important nutrients available to plants. Additionally, while feeding and digging, they incorporate organic carbon into the soil, improving soil structure and water holding capacity. Healthy, biodiverse soil is therefore essential for making forests resilient and multifunctional and cannot be ignored by anyone working in sustainable forest management.

Continue readingResearching the unacknowledged: A young Belgian researcher’s journey to understand the hidden world of forest soils
Leave a Comment
Forschungspreis für Citizen Science 2025: 1. Platz für das Projekt PlanBirke plus CBirke und Biodiversität

Forschungspreis für Citizen Science 2025: 1. Platz für das Projekt PlanBirke plus C

Published November 10, 2025 by Gesche Schifferdecker

Bürger*innen erforschen den Waldwandel – Klimawirksamkeit, Biodiversität & Wasserhaushalt Das Forschungsinstitut für Bergbaufolgelandschaften (FIB) wurde mit dem 1. Platz des „Wissen der Vielen – Forschungspreis…

Continue readingForschungspreis für Citizen Science 2025: 1. Platz für das Projekt PlanBirke plus C
Leave a Comment
When Fire Meets Ice: Iceland’s Unexpected Wildfire Challenge

When Fire Meets Ice: Iceland’s Unexpected Wildfire Challenge

Published November 4, 2025 by Santiago Alarcón

What if I told you that Iceland, a land known for glaciers, snowstorms, and volcanic fury, is quietly becoming a frontier in wildfire risk? It sounds contradictory. Yet, that’s exactly what we experienced during a two-and-a-half-day FoRISK wildfire workshop held from October 7 to 9, in Selfoss, southern Iceland. This training was hosted by the Icelandic Civil Protection, under the Technical Assistance Financing Facility (TAFF) of the European Commission’s Directorate General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO, the World Bank and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR).

Continue readingWhen Fire Meets Ice: Iceland’s Unexpected Wildfire Challenge
Leave a Comment
Resilience for Mediterranean landscapes: impacts and solutions to climate hazards for forestry and agriculture

Resilience for Mediterranean landscapes: impacts and solutions to climate hazards for forestry and agriculture

Published February 10, 2025 by Santiago Alarcón

The Resilience for Mediterranean Landscapes MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) is a groundbreaking online course developed as part of the ResAlliance Project. This free and accessible resource addresses the growing challenges of climate hazards in the Mediterranean region, focusing on innovative solutions in forestry and agriculture.

Featuring contributions from experts at 16 leading European research institutions and real-world case studies from Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece, and Cyprus, this MOOC combines cutting-edge research with practical knowledge.

Whether you’re a professional in forestry or agriculture, a student, a policymaker, or simply someone passionate about environmental resilience, this course equips you with the tools and insights to understand and tackle the impacts of climate change by exploring practical solutions at various levels to enhance resilience, especially in forestry and agriculture. Learn about initiatives in different contexts, connect with practitioners and experts, and engage in collaborative discussions to share and develop effective solutions for addressing climate-related challenges.

Continue readingResilience for Mediterranean landscapes: impacts and solutions to climate hazards for forestry and agriculture
Leave a Comment
Transforming private tree plantations in IrelandPhoto by Jonathan Spazzi.

Transforming private tree plantations in Ireland

Published November 19, 2024 by Jonathan Spazzi

Close-to-nature management as a key to more resilient and multifunctional forests

Jonathan Spazzi, Teagasc Forestry Development Department

“I want our forest to produce quality timber and give us personal satisfaction, while leaving a special biodiversity legacy for our children. That is why I have chosen a close-to-nature management approach,” says Liam Bresnan.

Continue readingTransforming private tree plantations in Ireland
Leave a Comment
Waldbewirtschaftung in Zeiten von klimabedingten Störungen – Workshop für die Forstpraxis  Marteloscop-Software

Waldbewirtschaftung in Zeiten von klimabedingten Störungen – Workshop für die Forstpraxis  

Published August 26, 2024 by Shanqing Gao

Die Bewirtschaftung eines Waldes kann zu Konflikten führen, die in den unterschiedlichen Bedürfnissen an den Wald begründet sind. Für die einen steht zum Beispiel die Förderung der Biodiversität im Vordergrund, für die anderen die Holznutzung, und wiederum andere priorisieren die Rolle des Waldes als Kohlenstoffsenke. Jede Perspektive ist wichtig, jedes Bedürfnis kritisch, aber es ist nicht immer leicht, einen gemeinsamen Nenner zu finden. Deshalb benötigen wir adaptive Politiken und Strategien, die diese verschiedenen Prioritäten zusammen- und – wenn möglich – miteinander in Einklang bringen 

Um diese Herausforderungen zusammen zu erforschen, laden wir Sie zu unserer Workshopreihe „Waldbewirtschaftung in Zeiten von klimabedingtem Stress und Störungen: Umsetzung von Politikszenarien für resiliente Wälder“ ein. Mit diesen Workshops, die gemeinsam vom European Forest Institute (EFI) und der Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg organisiert werden, untersuchen wir die Auswirkungen verschiedener politischer Szenarien auf die Waldbewirtschaftung, die biologische Vielfalt und die Reaktionen verschiedener Waldökosysteme auf (klimabedingten) Stress und Störungen.  

Continue readingWaldbewirtschaftung in Zeiten von klimabedingten Störungen – Workshop für die Forstpraxis  
Leave a Comment