Forest Health Today and Tomorrow
Forest health under changing environmental conditions is a crucial ecological, management, and economic issue in the development of forestry to meet the future challenges. Large-scale damage to forests in Canada and Central Europe has raised attention also in Finland. Just a few years ago, warm and dry summer provoked mass outbreak of spruce bark beetles in Finland. Distribution ranges of many tree-living insect species are shifting northwards. Are the outbreaks and other disturbances just a part of natural forest dynamics? Are the insect outbreaks the new normal? What opportunities do the applications of biotechnology offer for better forest health? How can we improve forest health through forest management? These are some of the questions we have on forest health.
This year, the Forest Science Day was organised as a webinar.
Download abstracts:
https://metsatiede.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/MTP2020-tiivistelmäkirja.pdf
Read also the “Science Marketplace” special section on forest health in Metsätieteen aikakauskirja (in Finnish).
Morning plenary programme (in English)
9:00 – 9:05 Opening, Dr Tuija Aronen, Finnish Society of Forest Science (Recording)
9:05 – 9:15 International Plant Health Year – Role of Forests, Prof. Jarkko Hantula, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Recording); Jarkko Hantula’s article in Metsätieteen aikakauskirja (in Finnish)
9:15 – 10:00 Keynote talk: Synergies, feedbacks and tipping points: Causes and Consequences of an unprecedented forest insect outbreak, Prof. Allan Carroll, University of British Columbia, Canada (Recording)
10:00 – 10:30 Forest tree health protection: Challenges and potentials in a Biotechnology era, Prof. Fred Asiegbu, University of Helsinki, Finland (Recording); Fred Asiegbu’s article in Metsätieteen aikakauskirja (in Finnish)
10:30 – 10:45 Break
10:45 – 11:15 Does forest management enhance or decrease forest resilience to damage?, Development Manager Heli Viiri, UPM Ltd., Finland (Recording); Heli Viiri’s article in Metsätieteen aikakauskirja (in Finnish)
11:15 – 12:00 Common Discussion, morning speakers; chair Dr Mikko Peltoniemi, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Recording)
12:00 – 13:00 Lunch break
13:00 – 15:45 Parallel sessions (in Finnish with some talks in English)
13:00 – 14:15 First part of parallel sessions
14:15 – 14:30 Break
14:30 – 15:45 Second part of parallel sessions
The science clubs of the Finnish Society of Forest Science will organise five parallel session in the afternoon. The session topics are:
Forest Biology Club: Disturbances in Forests – damages or natural processes?
Forest Economy Club: Impact of forest health for the society
Silviculture Club: Silviculture may reduce damage risks to forests
Forest Mensuration Club: Remote sensing and modelling in the evaluation of forest health and risks
Technology Club: Multiple impacts of timber harvesting on forest health
16:00 – 16:40 Afternoon plenary session: The new generation of forest scientists
Recording of afternoon plenary session (in Finnish)
16:00 – 16:05 Presentation of the session programme, Dr Tuija Aronen, Vice-Chair of the Finnish Society of Forest Science
16:05 – 16:20 Ecological restoration of tropical peat swamp forests: The awardee of the honorary prize of the Society for doctoral dissertation 2020, Dr Maija Lampela talks about doing research in the peat swamp forests of Indonesia.
16:20 – 16:35 ”Eastern Prof – The Forest Scan Plan”: Dr Samuli Junttila talks how a rap video on the doctoral dissertation ”Utilizing multispectral lidar in the detection of declined trees” was created and how we can communicate about science in new ways.
16:35 – 16:40 Closure of the Forest Science Day, Tuija Aronen
Organising Committee
Chair:
Tuija Aronen, Vice-Chair of the Finnish Society of Forest Science
tuija.aronen {ät} luke.fi; puh. 029 532 4233
Secretary:
Pekka Nygren, Executive Manager of the Finnish Society of Forest Science
pekka.nygren (ät) metsatiede.org; puh. 044 558 1199
Members:
Liina Häyrinen, Forest Economy Club, liina.hayrinen [ät] gmail.com
Nuutti Kiljunen, Silviculture Club, nuutti.kiljunen {at} metsakeskus.fi
Veli-Pekka Kivinen, Technology Club, veli.kivinen [at] helsinki.fi
Mari Myllymäki, Forest Mensuration Club, mari.myllymaki (at) luke.fi
Pekka Punttila, Forest Biology Club, pekka.punttila {ät} ymparisto.fi
Forest Science Day is organised with the support from the foundation Metsämiesten säätiö.