The Horizon Europe project "FutureForests" connects nine major forest experiments across Europe to study how forests respond to global environmental change. Led by the University of Birmingham, it trains 15 PhD researchers - two of them at the University of Innsbruck - to strengthen forest resilience for a sustainable future.
The recently launched Horizon Europe project " FutureForests " connects nine major forest experiments across Europe to investigate how Europe's forests respond to global environmental change. Led by the Birmingham Institute of Forest Research ( BIFoR ) at the University of Birmingham the project trains 15 doctoral researchers, two of whom will be based at the University of Innsbruck, supervised by Prof. Michael Bahn (Department of Ecology) and Prof. Ilse Kranner (Department of Botany). Applications for the doctoral positions are still open, but the call will close soon, here and here .
Key manipulation facilities as part of the FutureForests project including 1) Scotland, 2) England, 3) Germany, 4) Estonia, 5) Greece, 6) Italy, 7) Austria, 8) France, 9) Switzerland.
Map of Europe showing the nine FutureForests project sites, illustrating different environmental manipulations such as drought, soil moisture, elevated CO₂, nitrogen deposition, and fire removal in forest ecosystems.
European forests are vital for climate protection, biodiversity, clean air and water, and human well-being. Yet they are increasingly threatened by droughts and heatwaves, forest fires, rising CO₂-levels and nitrogen deposition. FutureForests will deliver new insights into how forests can remain resilient under these pressures - directly supporting the EU Forest Strategy 2030 , the European Green Deal , and the UN Sustainable Development Goals .
By linking leading experimental sites from the Mediterranean to the Alps and Northern Europe, and involving both academic and non-academic partners, FutureForests represents a major step toward understanding and mitigating the impacts of global change on European forests, ensuring their essential services for future generations.
