8.03.06 - Impact of wind on forests
Unit 8.03.06
UNIT NOTICEBOARD
Wind and Trees 2023 - "The future is uncertain: wind resilient forests in a changed climate"
The 10th International Wind and Trees Conference will be hosted by IUFRO working party 8.03.036, at Villa Bolasco (Castelfranco Veneto, province of Treviso), Italy from 20-23 June 2023.
The conference will focus on the understanding of the processes of wind damage to forests and how we use this knowledge to develop resistant and resilient forests in our changed climate.
Scientists from a range of disciplines will have the opportunity to share advances in knowledge on topics including:
- Understanding damage patterns and processes in forests due to windstorms
- Mechanics of wind damage
- Tree acclimation and adaptation to the wind
- Designing wind-resistant and resilient forests
There will be a half day dedicated to Flash Talks (7 minutes + 3 minutes for questions) and Posters (1 slide to present poster) with a prize for the best student Flash Talk and best student Poster.
There will also be a half-day with four workshops:
- Using remote sensing to determine wind damage in forests
- Machine learning as a tool for understanding wind damage and wind effects on trees
- Tree pulling to determine tree resistance to uprooting
- Training in the use of the wind damage risk model (fgr R library)
Barry Gardiner, France
About Unit
This group of international researchers (recently renumbered from 8.01.11 to 8.03.06) focuses on the mechanics of wind interactions with trees, the biology of acclimative growth, and the ecological impacts of wind on forest ecosystems. Our members work together on collaborative projects, many of which focus on the development of process models for tree and stand-level windthrow risk prediction. We hold a three-day conference every 4 to 5 years. The purpose of this Unit is to promote knowledge exchange and collaborative interactions.
State of Knowledge
Group members have developed non-spatial mechanistic windthrow risk models for uniform-structured stands, and tree-level models of tree-behaviour under load. Hot topics include: characterizing wind flow over complex terrain and through forest canopies; incorporating spatial and structural complexity in windthrow risk models; developing biomechanical models of acclimative growth; and characterizing ecosystem responses to recurring wind disturbances.
The list of topics under investigation includes:
- Atmospheric boundary layer flow over rough surfaces
- Airflow over forest stands, edges and clearings
- Airflow over natural shelter belts
- Mechanics of trees under wind loading
- Acclimative growth response of trees
- Silviculture and harvest design to reduce wind damage
- Post-storm damage responses
- Wind climatology
- Topography effects in wind loading on trees
- Physical modelling of airflow around trees
- Failure criteria of trees
- Ecological dynamics and strong winds
- Tree level management to reduce wind damage
Activities and events Unit 8.03.06
Upcoming event
| From/To | Title | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-06-20 2023-06-23 | 10th International Wind and Trees Conference: Wind and Trees 2023 - The future is uncertain: wind resilient forests in a changed climate | Castelfranco Veneto, Italy |