In the September 2023 edition of FOREXT Fridays, we discussed forest fires and their prevention with Pierre Mace, Director of DFCI Aquitaine, Gironde. With 94% of fires being caused by human activities, how can we prevent them – listen to the presentation and the discussion to hear more.
Meet the new FOREXT coordinator at EFI: Inazio Martinez de Arano.
He has more than 15 years of research experience, mainly in forest soil sustainability. Before joining EFI and working as the Head of EFI’s Mediterranean Facility, EFIMED, he served as coordinator of forestry research at NEIKER-TECNALIA in Spain (2004-2007) and as CEO of USSE (2008-2013). In these roles he has developed a deep understanding of the actors, institutions and processes involved in the policy making and, also, of the languages, views, needs and idiosyncrasy of different stakeholder groups. He has worked in policy-science initiatives both from the science and the stakeholder points of view. He has extensive working experience in European Projects (SIMRA, ROSEWOOD4.0, MYSUSTAINABLEFOREST, FORESTERRA, BEWATER, INCREDIBLE etc.). He currently coordinates the Bioregions Facility at EFI, and participates in several EU projects.
Our warm thanks to Nataša Lovrić who worked with the network from the very beginning, and has provided excellent and enthusiastic support in setting up and developing FOREXT.
In the May 2023 edition of FOREXT Fridays, we heard from 2BForest, based in Portugal, as they presented their online platform called ForestSIM®, where forest owners can find tools that will help them design and implement a forest management plan.
Learn more about SBForest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJZgwallvw0
The following organisations are welcomed as full members of the FOREXT network:
The network met in Prague on 10-11 May 2023, with a field trip on 12 May. During the meeting, forthcoming project proposals were discussed, among other issues related to ongoing activities.
Our warm thanks to Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague for hosting us.
Next FOREXT meeting will be held in October 2023 in Lugo, Spain, and will be hosted by the University of Santiago de Compostela.
FOREXT was present at the HoliSoils annual meeting as part of the project’s Stakeholders and End-user Advisory Board. During a panel discussion, the participants explored which results are relevant for stakeholders, where they use the results, how these results are best provided and why they are important. Our Chair Mark Prior concludes that understanding our soils better is very import for the future of European forest management.
HoliSoils – Holistic management practices, modelling and monitoring for European forest soils – is a Horizon 2020 project (May 2021- October 2025) to develop a harmonised soil monitoring framework. It identifies and tests soil management practices aiming to mitigate climate change and sustain provision of various ecosystem services essential for human livelihoods and wellbeing.
Our March 2023 FOREXT Friday focused on My pages (Mina sidor), which is a a website with free e-services that the Swedish Forest Agency offer forest owners. The target user group are private forest owners with 1-10 properties who don’t have access to their own geodata systems. The site aims to in a simple and efficient way, inspire and empower forest owners to make informed decisions about their forest property. The service provides maps, possibility to report or apply for permission of clear felling and a compilation of information from different government agencies.
Watch the recording of the presentation by Lisa Wik Persson as well as the discussion afterwards.
As our next meeting will be hosted by the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences,
Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, let’s have a brief look at what they do. They provide a comprehensive forestry education system to encourage and support rational forest management and sustainable utilization of its huge natural resources. In addition, with their research activities they have become a respected international research centre. More on their website: https://www.fld.czu.cz/en
Our next network meeting will take place on 10-12 May 2023 in Prague, Czech Republic.
A warm thank you to our member Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague for hosting us.
More info will be released in early March.
The FOREXT network held its annual meeting in Carlow, Ireland on 18-19 October 2022. During the meeting, plans were made for future activities, including possible project plans. The participants were also able to visit the Teagasc Forestry research and demo plots.
Our warm thanks to Teagasc for hosting the meeting.
The next meeting will take place in Prague 10-11 May 2023.
Teagasc’s Forestry Development Department provides integrated forestry research, advisory and education services which allows for rapid and effective dissemination of research through knowledge transfer and educational initiatives. More on their website: https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/forestry/