European Forest Reserves Initiative (EuFoRIa)

The goals of EuFoRIa are to:

• Foster networking among the researchers studying primeval forests and forest reserves using long-term data series of monitoring plots
• Get an overview of the existing data (such as number of plots, plot area, number of repeated measurements, environmental gradient covered)
• Identify research questions to which analyses of existing data could provide answers, discuss suitable approaches, analyse data and publish the results, building on the strengths of the plot network
• Foster exchange about inventory methods (design, variables, field procedures, data cleaning) and their long-term documentation
• Identify common interests in future research as a basis for new collaborations
• Work towards getting the network activities funded, e.g. via a COST Action or a Horizon Europe project

Since the foundation of the network in 2019, four dedicated research projects have been started and are still going on.

Snag longevity in European forest reserves

We analyse snag dynamics over time and across different environmental gradients, forest types and tree variables using the long-term inventories of EuFoRIa. We investigate how long snags remain standing and thus how long they will effectively fulfil their expected ecological functions such as providing habitat to many species or contributing to forest carbon stocks in the form of aboveground dead biomass.
Lead: Olalla Díaz-Yáñez, Tomáš Přívětivý, Kamil Kral and Harald Bugmann

Demographic rates: Mortality 

The goal of this project is to study demographic rates with a focus on mortality. We analyse the variation of mortality rates of European tree species across different environments. We aim to identify how annual tree mortality rates have changed over time and what the drivers of these changes are. We distinguish between the contribution of density-dependent and disturbance-mediated mortality.
Lead: Jokin Idoate Lacasia, Peter Brang and Martina Hobi

Demographic rates: Regeneration 

In this project we analyse demographic rates in the EuFoRIa network, with a focus on regeneration. Specifically, we are interested in their variation across a variety of environments. We elucidate how recruitment rates change after disturbances and if in the context of climate change the recruitment rates of drought-adapted tree species have increased already. Furthermore, we study legacy effects, e.g. management, and how they affect recruitment rates in natural forests.
Lead: Yannek Käber and Harald Bugmann

Biomass dynamics 

We use the long-term datasetsof EuFoRIa to investigate biomass dynamics of unmanaged forests. We test four hypotheses: (1) Biomass increases in-re-wilded forests towards a site- and tree species-specific carrying capacity. (2) Initially, biomass dynamics show an overshoot of the carrying capacity followed by a decreasing phase. (3) This wave-like pattern tends to flatten in the course of development. (4) Disturbances trigger short-term increases of growth rates but in the long-term reduce potential biomass levels at the landscape scale.
Lead: Peter Meyer and Rouven Nagel

The EuFoRIa working group includes 37 member institutions from 21 European countries.

• Membership: EuFoRIa members are working primarily on forest structure dynamics in strict forest reserves. EuFoRIa started in the year 2019 with 15 researchers and was enlarged in 2020 to a group of about 30 researchers. At the beginning of 2022 EuFoRIa comprised about 40 persons. We will continue to enlarge the size of the group, but slowly so as to guarantee mutual knowledge and trust. Therefore, participation is only possible upon request (to the Steering Group) and by invitation.

• Steering Group: The EuFoRIa Steering Group (SG) is currently composed of 6 members (Martina Hobi, Harald Bugmann, Alfredo Di Filippo, Kris Vandekerkhove, Thomas Nagel and Kamil Kral). The SG is chaired by Martina Hobi and meets on a regular basis. The SG has the tasks to push EuFoRIa forward, prepare decisions and communicate with the network members.

• Jul 2024, Donovaly, Slovakia, three days, 30 attendees
• Jan 2024, virtual format, one half-day, 50 attendees
• Jun 2023 Foresta Umbra - Parco Nazionale Gargano, Italy, three days, 17 attendees
• Jan 2023, virtual format, one half-day, 35 attendees
• Jun 2022, Pruhonice near Prague, Czech Republic, four days, 27 attendees
• Jan 2022, virtual format, one half-day, 33 attendees
• Nov 2020, virtual format, three half-days, 36 attendees
• Jul 2020, virtual format, three half-days, 16 attendees
• Jul 2019, Richisau, Switzerland, four days, 16 attendees