Working Groups

Two working groups are currently preparing NFZ.network project proposals for summerschools and early stage research training.

Working Group Summerschools

The joint summerschools organised by the network so far (» see summerschools) have been financed out of the participation fees and the budgets of the organising institutions. The success of these schools in bringing together students from different backgrounds and transmitting targeted knowledge by experts in an intensive week, has been widely acknowledged. If the network, however, is to organise a series of such events in the future, external funding is desirable.

Currently the working group is preparing the summerschool 2007 titled "Innovative approaches for sustainable management of forest ecosystems" also referred to as "FORCE".
The group consists of representatives of all participating institutions:
ALU: » Dr. Philipp Duncker
ENGREF: Dr. Bruno Ferry and Bernard Roman-Amat
ETH: Prof. Dr. Heinimann
FVA: Diana Weigerstorfer
INRA: Prof. Dr. Frederic Lapeyrie and Dr. Erwin Dreyer
WSL: Dr. Paolo Cherubini
UHP: Prof. Dr. Pierre Dizengremel



Working Groups Hostfellowships for Early Stage Researchers

Although dealing with similar issues, the technical endowment, field stations and expertise vary among the institutions, allowing for great value added for early stage researchers interested in a stay abroad. Moreover, early stage researchers are more likely to stay abroad over longer periods, taking home new insights and concretely building the foundations and networks for deepened cooperation in the future.

The » UFA/DFH French-German doctoral school "Risk-management in Forestry" also foresees the exchange of young researchers, but means are very limited to develop common training programs and joint research programmes in other fields than risk management. Beside, no scholarships can be offered, limiting seriously the number of participants able and willing to stay abroad over a longer period of time.

The Marie Curie call for Host-fellowships for Early Stage Researchers can be an opportunity to expand significantly the number of common linkages.

The Working Group will presumably submit a proposal under the heading ForEcoChange - Forestry and Ecosystems in a Changing Environment. The following research fields will be considered as main training priorities:
1. Eco-genomics:
application of techniques (microarrays, proteomics, metabolomics) to tree physiology (nutrition, drought responses, pathology, symbiosis, pollution…) and to ecology (intra and inter-specific diversity, microbial ecology, rhizosphere processes…);
2. Integrative plant biology:
ecophysiological, physiological, and molecular approaches of the impact of environmental constraints on trees and grassland species;
3. Assessment of the functional diversity among organisms
(bacteria, fungi, animals and plants) and of the biodiversity in the ecosystems; use of genetic, molecular and isotopic tools; pathology, pests; neobiota (invasive species); plant structure/function modelling;
4. Functional ecology of grasslands and forest ecosystems:
carbon, water and nutrient cycling, carbon storage, and primary productivity, soils physics (compaction), monitoring, process based modelling;
5. Management and products:
assessment and modelling approaches for growth and productivity, quality of the product; development of management scenarios and assessment of their impact on timber quality, on wildlife and on environmental services; grassland management and evaluation of forage production and quality; wildlife management;
6. Integrated pest management:
ecology and biology of diseases and pests including epidemiology and population genetics, life cycle analysis, pathogen and pest detection and identification, development of biological control strategies, management of introduced pests and diseases;
7. Landscape ecology and management:
the concept of ecosystem services, resource assessment, change detection and scenario simulations at catchments to continental scales, landscape dynamic modelling, manager decision rules, with the aim of understanding the current responses of land uses to climate hanges combined to other driving factors and to replace the forest and grassland in the complex landscape in Europe;
8. Indicators of long term changes at different scales:
ecosystem monitoring plots, permanent field stations, periodic remote sensing data, as well as information stored in tree rings will be used as indicators for environmental changes at various scales, with tools like land use data bases (TerrUti in France, ...);
9. Risk assessment:
modelling probability and magnitude of abiotic and biotic damages; time series analysis to detect harmonies in long term data series of risk, use of artificial neural networks for pattern recognition;

The training of YRs will consist of: (i.) research activities in the above cited fields, based on existing research facilities and (ii.) complementary training through lectures and practical activities within existing doctoral schools that developed already training programs (like the “RPPE” doctoral school at Nancy) as well as through specific training provided by ForEcoChange. A specific and new complementary training will be constructed within ForEcoChange and made available to young researchers whether holding a Marie Curie fellowship or not. It will comprise teaching modules, summer schools, seminars and specific symposia.

This group consists equally of representatives of all participating institutions:
ALU: Philipp Duncker and Prof. Dr. Heinrich Spiecker
ENGREF: Dr. Bruno Ferry and Bernard Roman-Amat
ETH: Prof. Dr. Heinimann
FVA: Diana Weigerstorfer
INRA: » Dr. Erwin Dreyer and Prof. Dr. Frederic Lapeyrie.
WSL: Dr. Paolo Cherubini
UHP: Prof. Dr. Pierre Dizengremel