Name of programme: GA ČR
Project number: 24-12210K
Investigator for FLD: prof. Ing. Miroslav Svoboda, Ph.D.
Contact person: prof. Ing. Miroslav Svoboda, Ph.D., svobodam@fld.czu.cz
Implementation period: 04/2024 – 3/2027
Thermophilic forest communities occupy warm southward facing mountain slopes and serve as climate change analogues for climate-sensitive mesophilic beech-dominated forests across the European temperate zone. However, despite their widespread occurrence and predicted expansion under climate change, including their importance for future forest functions (e.g. wood production, biodiversity, and carbon storage), they have received almost no attention in the literature with regard to basic demography (i.e., regeneration, growth, and mortality), disturbance processes, and resilience to drought and disturbance. This project will be the first to provide a fundamental understanding of thermophilic forest structure, dynamics, and function, thereby filling a critical knowledge gap for better understanding of the future of European forests under a warmer climate. The project will provide a much needed insight into future forest functions (e.g. bio-economy, carbon storage, and biodiversity) and potential management guidelines given predicted increases in thermophilic forests under climate change.