Mission statement: “Connect - integrate - go further.”

I am a forest scientist and ecologist. I consider inventorying and monitoring of forests and natural resource as an essential tool for sustainable forest and environmental management. My research focus is on detecting changes in forest ecosystems, with emphasis on the influence of environmental drivers on forest health, productivity, and diversity. My primary interest is to ensure high quality data and information, connect different fields of the monitoring science, and promote integration across disciplines. This will help advancing our understanding of forest resources, their management and dynamics, and to better answer societal needs.

 

Researcher ID N-9057-2017

Google Scholar https://scholar.google.ch/citations?user=W4U_K_UAAAAJ&hl=de

Research Gate https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marco_Ferretti

Full Publication List

Biosketch

I have got my degree in Forest Sciences at the University of Firenze (1986) and obtained my PhD from the University of Siena (2006). I obtained the Italian National Scientific Habilitation (ASN process) as Chair professor in Ecology (Sector 05/C1) and Chair professor in Science and Technology of Forest and Arboricultural Systems (Sector 07/B2) (2013).

Since 2017 I am the Head of Unit Forest Resources and Management at the Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL. Since 2017 I also serve as Chairman of the ICP Forests, a program established in 1985 under the UNECE Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (www.icp-forests.org).

Formerly, I served as co-ordinator of the IUFRO Working Group 7.04.01 “Detection, Monitoring and Evaluation) (2000-2006). I was Technical Director at TerraData environmetrics, Siena, Italy (2006-2016), Contract Professor at the University of Siena (2002-2010), Contract Researcher at the University of Firenze (1988-2007) and Project Manager at Linnaea ambiente, Firenze, Italy (1990-2005).

Most of my past work has been based on terrestrial measurements and data analysis of forest health, growth, diversity, and atmospheric chemistry on local (Italy, several regional programs, 1987-ongoing), national (Switzerland, 2017, ongoing; Italy, 1997-ongoing; France: 2009-2012), European (1988-ongoing) forest monitoring networks, with co-operation and contacts with North-America (Canada, USA: 2003 - ongoing) and east Asia (2009 - ongoing).

Editorial Activity

Editor for Scientific journals
Annals of Forest Science (two special issues); Elsevier Development in Environmental Sciences (one book); Environmental Pollution (one special section); Forest Ecology and Management (one special issue).

Editorial boards
Annals of Forest Science; iForests; Annals of Silvicultural Research.

Referee for scientific journals
Annals of Forest Science; Canadian Journal of Forest Research; Dendrochronologia; Ecosystem Management & Restoration; Environmental and Experimental Botany; Environmental Modelling and Software; Environmental Monitoring and Assessment; Environmental Pollution; Forest Ecology and Management; Global Change Biology; Journal of Vegetation Science; Methods in Ecology and Evolution; The Journal of Engineering Research; Tree Physiology; Water Air and Soil Pollution.

Projects

We will enhance the design of the Swiss NFI plots to accomodate an augmented series of measurements, sampling and analysis needed to respond to pressing research question on status and change of the Swiss forest.

PathFinder will develop an innovative integrated forest monitoring and pathway assessment system by the most efficient use of field, remotely sensed data, and advanced ground measurement devices. NFIs and ICP Forests networks and data will be complemented by innovative field monitoring sites.

An increase of extreme environmental disturbances is expected, which is for different reasons a big challenge for forest stakeholders on the operating-, strategic-, financial- and environmental level. Using diverse methods, we aim to describe the complexity of the current problem.

Publications

Senf C., Esquivel-Muelbert A., Pugh T.A.M., Anderegg W.R.L., Anderson-Teixeira K.J., Arellano G., … van der Maaten-Theunissen M. (2025) Towards a global understanding of tree mortality. New Phytol. doi:10.1111/nph.20407 Institutional Repository DORA

Anthony M.A., Tedersoo L., De Vos B., Croisé L., Meesenburg H., Wagner M., … Averill C. (2024) Fungal community composition predicts forest carbon storage at a continental scale. Nat. Commun. 15, 2385 (13 pp.). doi:10.1038/s41467-024-46792-w Institutional Repository DORA

Ferretti M., Fischer C., Gessler A., Graham C., Meusburger K., Abegg M., … Shackleton R.T. (2024) Advancing forest inventorying and monitoring. Ann. For. Sci. 81(1), 6 (25 pp.). doi:10.1186/s13595-023-01220-9 Institutional Repository DORA

Ferretti M., Vesterdal L., Schaub M., Schwärzel K., Canullo R., Cools N., … Zimmermann L. (2024) Forest condition and environmental drivers in Europe - Recent evidence from selected studies. In A. Michel, K. Haggenmüller, T. Kirchner, A. K. Prescher, K. Schwärzel, & L. Wohlgemuth (Eds.), ICP Forests. Forest condition in Europe. The 2024 assessment. ICP Forests technical report under the UNECE convention on long-range transboundary air pollution (air convention). Eberswalde: Thünen Institute of Forest Ecosystems. 12-17. Institutional Repository DORA

Ferretti M., Gessler A., Cools N., Fleck S., Guerrieri R., Jakovljević T., … Sanders T.G.M. (2024) Resilient forests need joint forces for better inventorying and monitoring. For. Ecol. Manag. 561, 121875 (6 pp.). doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2024.121875 Institutional Repository DORA

Ferretti M., Cailleret M., Haeni M., Trotsiuk V., Apuhtin V., Araminiene V., … Schaub M. (2024) The fingerprint of tropospheric ozone on broadleaved forest vegetation in Europe. Ecol. Indic. 158, 111486 (16 pp.). doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.111486 Institutional Repository DORA

Portier J., Shackleton R.T., Klesse S., Ferretti M., Flury R., Hobi M.L., … Thürig E. (2024) No evidence that coring affects tree growth or mortality in three common European temperate forest tree species. Eur. J. For. Res. 143, 129-139. doi:10.1007/s10342-023-01612-6 Institutional Repository DORA

Vallicrosa H., Johnson K.M., Gessler A., Etzold S., Ferretti M., Waldner P., Grossiord C. (2024) Temperature and leaf form drive contrasting sensitivity to nitrogen deposition across European forests. Sci. Total Environ. 955, 176904 (9 pp.). doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176904 Institutional Repository DORA

Dreyer E., Bolte A., Ferretti M., Leban J.M., Lhotka J.M., Liu S., Lesage V. (2023) Annals of Forest Science promotes multidisciplinary research devoted to forests and wood in a changing world. Ann. For. Sci. 80(1), 8 (2 pp.). doi:10.1186/s13595-023-01177-9 Institutional Repository DORA

Gottardini E., Cristofolini F., Cristofori A., Ferretti M. (2023) Forests attenuate temperature and air pollution discomfort in montane tourist areas. Forests. 14(3), 545 (12 pp.). doi:10.3390/f14030545 Institutional Repository DORA

Shackleton R.T., Ferretti M. (2023) Advanced monitoring and inventory in Switzerland (SwissAIM): Neue Konzepte, um Waldinventuren und Monitoringprogramme zusammenzuführen. Infoblatt Arbeitsgr. Waldplan. manag. 2023(2), 1-3. Institutional Repository DORA

Verstraeten A., Bruffaerts N., Cristofolini F., Vanguelova E., Neirynck J., Genouw G., … Gottardini E. (2023) Effects of tree pollen on throughfall element fluxes in European forests. Biogeochemistry. 165, 311-325. doi:10.1007/s10533-023-01082-3 Institutional Repository DORA

Anthony M.A., Crowther T.W., van der Linde S., Suz L.M., Bidartondo M.I., Cox F., … Averill C. (2022) Forest tree growth is linked to mycorrhizal fungal composition and function across Europe. ISME J. 16, 1327-1336. doi:10.1038/s41396-021-01159-7 Institutional Repository DORA

Dreyer E., Leban J.M., Liu S.L., Bolte A., Lhotka J., Ferretti M., Lesage V. (2022) Annals of Forest Science promotes multidisciplinary research on forests and wood in a changing world and is now a full Open Access journal. Ann. For. Sci. 79, 1 (2 pp.). doi:10.1186/s13595-022-01119-x Institutional Repository DORA

Faralli M., Cristofolini F., Cristofori A., Ferretti M., Gottardini E. (2022) Leaf trait plasticity and site-specific environmental variability modulate the severity of visible foliar ozone symptoms in Viburnum lantana. PLoS One. 17(7), e0270520 (14 pp.). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0270520 Institutional Repository DORA

Ferretti M., Vesterdal L., Canullo R., Cools N., De Vos B., Fleck S., … Žlindra D. (2022) Forest condition and environmental drivers in Europe - recent evidence from selected studies. In A. Michel, T. Kirchner, A. K. Prescher, & K. Schwärzel (Eds.), ICP forests. Forest condition in Europe. The 2022 assessment. ICP Forests technical report under the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (Air Convention). Eberswalde: Thünen Institute of Forest Ecosystems. 12-18. Institutional Repository DORA

Gessler A., Ferretti M., Schaub M. (2022) Editorial: forest monitoring to assess forest functioning under air pollution and climate change. Front. For. Glob. Change. 5, 952232 (4 pp.). doi:10.3389/ffgc.2022.952232 Institutional Repository DORA

Jaime L., Batllori E., Ferretti M., Lloret F. (2022) Climatic and stand drivers of forest resistance to recent bark beetle disturbance in European coniferous forests. Glob. Chang. Biol. 28(8), 2830-2841. doi:10.1111/gcb.16106 Institutional Repository DORA

Schaub M., Vesterdal L., De Vos B., Ferretti M., Fleck S., Merilä P., … Ukonmaanaho L. (2022) FORECOMON 2021 - review of the 9th ICP Forests scientific conference on forest ecosystem monitoring. In A. Michel, T. Kirchner, A. K. Prescher, & K. Schwärzel (Eds.), ICP forests. Forest condition in Europe. The 2022 assessment. ICP Forests technical report under the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (Air Convention). Eberswalde: Thünen Institute. 25-28. doi:10.3220/ICPTR1656330928000 Institutional Repository DORA

Weldon J., Merder J., Ferretti M., Grandin U. (2022) Nitrogen deposition causes eutrophication in bryophyte communities in central and northern European forests. Ann. For. Sci. 79, 24 (14 pp.). doi:10.1186/s13595-022-01148-6 Institutional Repository DORA

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