Projects / Programmes
Forest, forestry and renawable forest resources
January 1, 2009
- December 31, 2014
Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
4.01.00 |
Biotechnical sciences |
Forestry, wood and paper technology |
|
Code |
Science |
Field |
B430 |
Biomedical sciences |
Sylviculture, forestry, forestry technology |
Code |
Science |
Field |
4.01 |
Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences |
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries |
Forest, forestry, forest ecology, forest sites, growth and yield, silviculture, forest health, forest management, forest operations, forest policy and economics, landscape ecology, wood, wildlife, sustainable management
Researchers (36)
no. |
Code |
Name and surname |
Research area |
Role |
Period |
No. of publicationsNo. of publications |
1. |
29881 |
Tomaž Adamič |
|
Technical associate |
2009 - 2014 |
32 |
2. |
10801 |
PhD Andrej Bončina |
Forestry, wood and paper technology |
Researcher |
2009 - 2014 |
516 |
3. |
28895 |
Danijel Borkovič |
|
Technical associate |
2009 - 2014 |
30 |
4. |
11958 |
PhD Robert Brus |
Forestry, wood and paper technology |
Researcher |
2009 - 2014 |
742 |
5. |
11253 |
PhD Jurij Diaci |
Forestry, wood and paper technology |
Head |
2009 - 2014 |
716 |
6. |
27615 |
PhD Andrej Ficko |
Forestry, wood and paper technology |
Technical associate |
2009 - 2014 |
166 |
7. |
34320 |
PhD Gal Fidej |
Forestry, wood and paper technology |
Junior researcher |
2011 - 2014 |
85 |
8. |
29426 |
PhD Dejan Firm |
Biotechnical sciences |
Technical associate |
2009 - 2014 |
57 |
9. |
06470 |
PhD David Hladnik |
Forestry, wood and paper technology |
Researcher |
2009 - 2014 |
251 |
10. |
26070 |
PhD Kristjan Jarni |
Forestry, wood and paper technology |
Technical associate |
2009 - 2014 |
98 |
11. |
22515 |
PhD Klemen Jerina |
Forestry, wood and paper technology |
Researcher |
2009 - 2014 |
449 |
12. |
02491 |
PhD Maja Jurc |
Forestry, wood and paper technology |
Researcher |
2009 - 2014 |
564 |
13. |
20035 |
PhD Aleš Kadunc |
Forestry, wood and paper technology |
Researcher |
2009 - 2014 |
150 |
14. |
32063 |
Petra Kajdiž |
Biotechnical sciences |
Junior researcher |
2009 - 2014 |
5 |
15. |
28501 |
PhD Matija Klopčič |
Biotechnical sciences |
Researcher |
2009 - 2014 |
176 |
16. |
08157 |
PhD Boštjan Košir |
Forestry, wood and paper technology |
Researcher |
2009 - 2011 |
390 |
17. |
12796 |
PhD Janez Krč |
Forestry, wood and paper technology |
Researcher |
2009 - 2014 |
316 |
18. |
29816 |
PhD Miha Krofel |
Forestry, wood and paper technology |
Researcher |
2013 - 2014 |
764 |
19. |
29335 |
PhD Matevž Mihelič |
Forestry, wood and paper technology |
Technical associate |
2009 - 2013 |
114 |
20. |
27544 |
PhD Thomas Andrew Nagel |
Biotechnical sciences |
Researcher |
2009 - 2014 |
234 |
21. |
13256 |
Roman Pavlin |
Forestry, wood and paper technology |
Technical associate |
2009 - 2014 |
87 |
22. |
25668 |
PhD Špela Pezdevšek Malovrh |
Biotechnical sciences |
Researcher |
2009 - 2014 |
310 |
23. |
10973 |
PhD Janez Pirnat |
Forestry, wood and paper technology |
Researcher |
2009 - 2014 |
203 |
24. |
22576 |
PhD Anton Poje |
Forestry, wood and paper technology |
Researcher |
2009 - 2013 |
146 |
25. |
17768 |
Jure Pokorn |
|
Technical associate |
2009 - 2014 |
5 |
26. |
25666 |
PhD Aleš Poljanec |
Forestry, wood and paper technology |
Researcher |
2012 - 2014 |
249 |
27. |
06473 |
PhD Igor Potočnik |
Forestry, wood and paper technology |
Researcher |
2009 - 2014 |
265 |
28. |
29427 |
PhD Andreja Repe |
Biotechnical sciences |
Junior researcher |
2009 - 2014 |
59 |
29. |
31210 |
MSc Helena Erika Rojc |
|
Technical associate |
2009 - 2014 |
22 |
30. |
24368 |
PhD Andrej Rozman |
Forestry, wood and paper technology |
Researcher |
2009 - 2014 |
113 |
31. |
21043 |
PhD Dušan Roženbergar |
Forestry, wood and paper technology |
Researcher |
2009 - 2014 |
230 |
32. |
30432 |
Tihomir Rugani |
|
Technical associate |
2010 - 2014 |
36 |
33. |
17770 |
Alojzij Skvarča |
|
Technical associate |
2009 - 2014 |
27 |
34. |
10008 |
PhD Milan Šinko |
Forestry, wood and paper technology |
Technical associate |
2009 - 2014 |
123 |
35. |
14839 |
Karmen Vogelnik |
Forestry, wood and paper technology |
Technical associate |
2009 |
3 |
36. |
07446 |
PhD Lidija Zadnik-Stirn |
Forestry, wood and paper technology |
Researcher |
2009 - 2014 |
608 |
Organisations (1)
Abstract
The predominant landscape feature in Slovenia is its forests, which currently cover 56 % of the territory and are still increasing in size. The attitude of the Slovene population towards forests is changing as is our need for forests. Consequently, the ecological and social functions of forests are gaining in importance. Unlike most European countries with lower forest cover, Slovenia as a country poor in natural resources still considers forest an essential provider of renewable forest resources. Forest hinterland provides Slovenia with rich yet largely unutilised resources of high quality drinking water. Exceptional ecological characteristics of wood as energent and material promise that wood is looking to reclaim its past position, particularly thanks to increasing market awareness-building and low demand for tropical wood. In Slovenia, forest production and processing is an important job provider, especially in less populated and sensitive border areas. Slovenia practises sustainable forest management which ensures environment-friendly forest production to go hand in hand with tending of forest ecosystems and provision of other forest functions.
The purpose of the research programme is: (i) to preserve Slovene forests and develop sustainable, multi-purpose forest management, which is based on the balance between the social and economic functions of the forest and maintenance of its pristine ecological character, (ii) to maintain the balance between forests and other land uses, (iii) to promote wood production techniques that are both friendly to the environment and ownership conditions and humane, and (iv) to preserve cultural landscape population and improve living conditions in the countryside.
The primary objectives of the research programme are:
(a) to study the characteristics, structure and functioning of forest ecosystems in Slovenia;
(b) to study the animal component of a forest and its balance with the plant component, development of strategies concerning protection of forests and conservation of rare and endangered species;
(c) to study forest structures and develop strategies for forest management in harsh living conditions and after natural disasters: timberline forests, protection forests, karst and submediterranean forests, forests on former agricultural lands, forests affected by natural disasters, forests in emission zones; to develop the methods for torrential waters management and management of water catchment areas and watercourses in wooded areas;
(d) to define ways to coordinate the ecologic, conservational, technological and economic factors effectively in order to ensure preservation of the naturalness of forests through improved management;
(e) to develop forest management policies for urban areas, protected areas, special-purpose forests;
(f) to develop methods of process-oriented, adaptive and participative planning, direction and coordination of forest and landscape management following the demands from the owners, general public & nature conservation;
(g) to develop methods and procedures for forest operations for large-diameter timber;
(h) to review and revise forestry policy measures in the light of recent changes in the ownership and land holding structure;
(i) to research social, economic and political factors which play an important role in the promotion of competitiveness and innovation in Slovene forestry;
(j) to analyse potential measures to increase the social and economic role of forests
Significance for science
The research program has contributed to the strengthening of the role of Department of Forestry within the group of leading institutions in the field of long-term research in support of multipurpose close-to-nature (CTN) forestry. Within the six years of the program implementation the researchers succeeded in publishing a number of publications in top scientific journals, such as Science and Ecological Applications. The principles of ecosystem management, adopted at the COP 7 in Kuala Lumpur, are based on extensive research in natural forests in the USA with only few examples of best practises in the field of practical forestry. CTN management of the Alpine countries within Europe is similar to ecosystem management, but is at the same time based on a long tradition and numerous good practises. Scientific evidence of ecological, economic and social effectiveness of CTN management represent the transmission of experiences of the Slovene and Alpine forestry to the wider region of Europe and the World, and represents a model for the development of a sustainable global society. Europe bound itself with a series of ministerial conferences to sustainable multipurpose forest management. However, many European countries still relay on clear cut forestry and have no operating systems of CTN forest management. Many countries have neglected scientific research in support of CTN forestry; especially during the industrialisation of forestry. Slovenia has a tradition of multipurpose CTN forestry, many permanent research plots in managed and protected forests, and above all an established base of comprehensive research. A changing environment and the intensified use of forest resources with the increased use of mechanized harvesting are a huge challenge for CTN forest management. The development of acceptable limits of forest exploitation and environmental standards, which ensure multipurpose forest functioning, demands new intersectoral and interdisciplinary approaches that were developed with the research program. Research under goal (a) contributed to the fundamental knowledge of the structure, development and production capacities of forest ecosystems. Knowledge about the natural development of forest ecosystems is very restricted due to the time limitation of the most of the research work done so far, lack of preserved forests and their extent. This is reflected in different views on future forest management and conservation: i.e. segregation or integration paradigms. The programme has substantially contributed to the development of scientific and professional methods for controlling the effectiveness of CTN management of renewable forest resources. Research under (b) contributed to the knowledge and development of scientific methods for application of close-to-nature and ecosystem forest management to mitigate climate change and improve overall forest stability. Intensive research of threetrophic level interactions (tree/fungus/bark beetle) has been performed on those taxa, and it indicated different pathogenic characteristics in the relation towards the host. Taxa was analysed with the methods for exact taxonic position and for the defining of ecological meaning (possible symbiotic relation towards the vector bark beetle, the pathogenicity, the relation towards both partners). The results clarified the influence of the researched species of bark beetles and their associative fungus on the host. The results are useful for adaptive management of Norway spruce stands. The planed and directed adjustment among plant and animal components of forest ecosystems and society has contributed to biodiversity conservation of forests in Slovenia. Some research goals under (c) (e.g. disturbance due to noise) were original from an international view, as such experiences do not yet exist in forestry. The use of other methods (e.g. AHP) has been used for the first time been at planning of the optimal forest road network.
Significance for the country
The implementation of the research program has a direct influence on the improvement of the forest health in Slovenia through ecological and economical justified adjustment of strategies for forest protection and decreasing of sanitary cuttings, smaller forest management risks through adaptation of management to mitigate climate change and improvement of forest and renewable forest resource management through development of adaptive, participative planning. The increased use of forests, which is adjusted to sustainable capacities and implemented in an environmental friendly way, contributes to the economic development of Slovenia, the opening of new work places, and the development of rural regions. The development of clear, verifiable and upgradeable standards for forest management and different work intensities within the forest help to preserve natural heritage on the whole forest area of Slovenia, especially in protected regions. Close-to-nature forest management is constantly upgraded with new technologies, so as to achieve better efficiency in the use of forest renewable resources, as well as the work environment and safety. Deviation from the close-to-nature forest management can mean degradation of the environment and the segregation principle of forest functions can lead to economic instability in less populated and socially more sensitive rural environments. The research program is also indirectly influencing the development of the Slovene society. Natural forests and close-to-nature management are Slovenia’s trade mark, which was especially exposed during the Slovene presidency of the EU and met with a clear affirmative response in the EU and international public. Numerous foreign scientists, professors and forestry experts that cooperate with the program group every year and visit the forests and research objects, act as a great promotion of the country and of the idea of sustainable societies in general. International activity of the program group is especially important for developing countries and the area of south-eastern Europe with exceptional natural values. The program group with internationally recognized researchers, which participate in the research and teaching in numerous countries, and with several ongoing international projects is a great opportunity for knowledge exchange and the incorporation into the international division of labour. The introduced contact with foreign countries under the program group is particularly important for the education of graduate students, who are actively participating in the group as young researchers, assistants and researchers on international projects. The effectiveness of the public administration in Slovenia and the cooperation with the public is significantly influenced by the incorporation of the members of the research group in the work of government agencies, Slovenia Forest Service and nongovernmental organizations. The development of forestry, ecology and biological engineering in Slovenia is very much influenced by the development of top-level staff, and also by annual conferences, seminars and workshops (particularly the Forestry Study Days).
Most important scientific results
Annual report
2009,
2010,
2011,
2012,
2013,
final report,
complete report on dLib.si
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Annual report
2009,
2010,
2011,
2012,
2013,
final report,
complete report on dLib.si