Birch and aspen stand management decision support tool for reduction of wind damages

European Regional Development fund agreement No. 1.1.1.1/18/A/134

The project belongs to Latvian Smart Specialization Strategy (RIS) priority area knowledge-intensive bioeconomy and research contributes to development of scientific and human capital and to creation of new knowledge, and is carried out in area of research and forestry.

The aim of the project is to quantify the resistance of deciduous trees – birch (Betula spp.) and common aspen (Populus tremula L.) middle-to-mature age – against impact of the wind, characterizing factors affecting the risk of damage and develop forest management technology (decision support tool) to reduce this risk.

Tool will be developed in following activities:

1. Quantification of tree resistance in static load.
2. Root system characterization.
3. Parametrization of algorithm (tool) characterizing tree wind resistance.
4. Parametrization of financial impact of storm damages in the developed algorithm (tool).

The project is conceived as industrial research and all implemented activities correspond to forest sector. The research is interdisciplinary and will be carried out in collaboration between specialists of forestry and environmental sciences (OECD "Frascati manual" 4.1. and 1.5.). The project is implemented in a cooperation between research organisation (LSFRI "Silava") and enterprise (Skogssallskapet Ltd.). Cooperation will improve practical applicability of the results, efficiency of the research (while including the skills, experience and areas available for establishment of sample plots). The actions carried out include research and transfer of research results through knowledge and technologies, without exclusiveness and discrimination.

The project results in accordance to the priority 6 of the RIS strategy hence 3 new academic positions are established and results will be summarized in 12 scientific articles and 2 PhD thesis, ensuring significant contribution to development of scientific and human capital and to creation of new knowledge, important at a European scale, providing novel data on deciduous tree wind resistance and novel results on financial impact of the wind-storms. This will notably strengthen the scientific capacity of the project target group – LSFRI "Silava" and the members of the research team in an important, topical field of research – natural disturbances – that is currently studied in in context of forest economy, forest ecology, adaptation, resilience, mitigation of climatic changes. Second target group – enterprises (primarily forest owners and managers) – will gain free tool and recommendations as well as distributed information and demonstration site to modify their management and minimize storm damage risks.

Key words: hemiboreal forest, forest management, wind disturbance, wind damage, uprooted trees, windthrown trees, natural disaster

Prototype of decision support tool: financial impact of wind damages in atlernative management scenarious

Scientific publications (work in progress, 12 articles in total)