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Institute for Applied Ecosystem Studies: Theory and Application of Scaling Science in Forestry

Research Work Unit NRS-13

Our Institute mission is to develop the theory and application of scaling science to provide knowledge at relevant scales in forestry. Our research is guided by four principal concepts.

Concepts for Research Focus Areas

The link between energy, climate, and tree genetics is key to developing fast-growing tree crops as energy feedstocks and to understanding the effects of climate change on natural and plantation forests, but critical knowledge gaps exist for both of these subjects.

Increased understanding is needed for climate change impacts on forest productivity, species composition, and the biogeochemistry of terrestrial ecosystems at multiple scales, and critical feedback processes between biological and physical components of the climate system.  Methods are needed for assessing the hazards, risks, and opportunities of forest management to make recommendations for mitigating effects of climate change on forest ecosystems.

The reciprocal link between the spatial and temporal dynamics of landscape elements and ecological processes is a first principle of landscape ecology, and we seek to use this link to make reliable predictions to guide management and policy decisions.

Innovative scaling concepts and tools are needed to integrate disciplinary research and translate forestry knowledge to policy-relevant scales.

Collaborative Research Programs

Aspen FACE Experiment

A final analytical harvest of Aspen FACE was conducted in 2009, providing full characterization of carbon storage and biomass production from 1 m deep in the soil to the top of the forest canopy.  The following winter, the residual stands were clear-cut, simulating the silvicultural treatment typically applied to aspen forest management.  In 2010, the Northern Forest Ecosystem Experiment (NFEE) was inaugurated to study regeneration response under similar treatment conditions as the Aspen FACE experiment. Visit the Aspen FACE Experiment page for more information.

Chequamegon Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (ChEAS)

We continue research in cooperation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), University of Minnesota, Pennsylvania State University, Carnegie Institute, and other organizations within the Chequamegon Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (ChEAS) group.