In-Congress Excursions

The excursions should provide scientifically grounded discussions about forest related issues of interest to decision makers and other groups in society, including cross sectoral challenges. The IUFRO themes are represented in the excursions below.

1) Fire dynamics and disturbances in past and present forest landscapes

Join the field excursion to Tyresta National Park south of Stockholm, a larger old growth forest that partly burned in 1999. Delve into the complexities of forest disturbance and unmanaged forest from different perspectives. Engage with expert guides who will unveil the history of natural and anthropogenic disturbances in Sweden, provide visual understanding of the ecological processes that emerge after a fire, explain the role of fire in forest conservation, and discuss challenges for forestry, conservation, and recreation in a future fire regime.

2) Joint efforts to take forest management into the future

To advance in research and implement scientific results in practice, interactions between stakeholders and academia, both nationally and internationally, are needed. During this excursion we will discuss six areas of interest included in the research program FRAS (Future forest management in southern Sweden): 1) Mixed forest management, 2) Regeneration systems, 3) Forest damage, 4) Management for high production, 5) Management for multiple ecosystem services and 6) Digital tools.

3) Pathology, mycology, ecology and conservation

Come and experience vast coniferous forests where you will be able to see and discuss forestry both with respect to clear-cut and continuous forestry management as well as breeding and economic aspects. Furthermore, on this excursion node you will be able to see many traces of forest damage from fungi causing spruce root rot, Ash decline and Dutch Elm disease and bark beetle attacks. The important role of fungi for ecosystem function will be shown. There will also be a scenic mix of idyllic meadows, ancient forests and leafy oak slopes, but also spectacular views. In Morga Hage, ancient oaks grow, stretching out their wide crowns. Think that a single such tree can be home to over a thousand different plant and animal species – talk about diversity! In the spring and summer, the pastures are transformed into a paradise landscape with all kinds of flowers and chirping birds. It’s just to enjoy. Here you really do walk in the footsteps of Carl von Linné.

4) Valuable trees and forests close to people

The Djurgården Royal National City Park is the capital’s green oasis close to the city centre of Stockholm. Here you can experience a unique historic forested landscape interwoven with parkland, beautiful buildings, woods and forests, open land and waterbodies. It is one of the most well-visited recreational areas in Sweden and it is unique to find such an extensive area of outstanding natural, cultural and recreational beauty and values still remaining within a capital city.

Forests are managed with a substantial component of continuous-cover, temperate broadleaved trees and mixed forests in between grazed lands and fields to guarantee recreation, nature conservation and timber production in a sustainable way.

During this excursion we will demonstrate management principles and research findings within the following five areas: Urban forestry and ecosystem services (1), Closer-to-nature forest management (2), Nature conservation in mixed forest (3), Forest history (4), recreational values in forests close to people (5).

5) Environmental monitoring and field-based research infrastructure

The Swedish infrastructure for Ecosystem Sciences (SITES) hosts an excursion at one of its field stations, the Erken Laboratory. The excursion will consist of several nodes, where representatives from SITES as well as researchers from SLU and Uppsala University (UU) will inform about results from long-term ecosystem research and national environmental monitoring in Sweden. The following nodes will be included: (1) long-term effects of climate change on water quality, biodiversity and ecosystem services in aquatic ecosystems. The node will present the activities at the host field station, which operates an intensive long-term lake monitoring programme in lake Erken, based on both manual and sensor-based high frequency measurements.

Further, the catchment-scale monitoring and riparian management at SITES station Svartberget in Northern Sweden will be presented, (2) SITES, which is a national infrastructure for terrestrial and limnological ecosystem research that facilitates long-term, field-based ecosystem research by offering a unique infrastructure, including data and expertise from UU and SLU’s Unit for Field-based Forest Research, to the Swedish and international research community, (3) Terrestrial resource and environmental monitoring. Here the focus will be on 100 years of experience in forest inventory, information about soil conditions and soil chemistry from around 20 000 objectively located plots across all of Sweden, and monitoring biophysical conditions and changes in deciduous forests, grasslands, alpine habitats and seashores for reporting within the EU’s Species and Habitats Directive.

6) Production systems for forest fuels and bioenergy generation

Current technology and systems used in Nordic countries
Here you will follow an entire logistics chain of forest fuels, from harvesting at the clear-cut to utilisation of produced consequence products at Sweden’s most modern cogeneration production plant.

The field trip includes:

• Demonstration of current best practice of harvesting logging residues, field-adapted storage strategy, fuel production and hot and cold logistic systems.
• Demonstration of fuel production aimed for increased and adopted fuel quality including fuel fractioning, and best practice of storage.
• Demonstration of best practice and local application of bio carbon capture and storage and utilisation of produced ash after incineration at the largest and most modern bio-fired cogeneration plant in Sweden.

7) Forest-industry integration and logistics

This field trip focuses on advanced technology for planning, logging, transportation and forest industry production; low impact and efficient machine concepts, big data, new fuels, automation and remote sensing are a few examples. You will visit the cutting edge of contemporary forest operations, with nation-wide data management systems for data gathering. Forest industry production starts in the forest as the tree is harvested and shaped into products fitting industrial processes. You will visit a harvester and forwarder in the forest and look at the flexibility of the harvesting process where everything is controlled in realtime and can be adjusted momentarily on demand. You will also see the future´s technology, with unmanned machines as well as advanced data gathering technology and decision support tools.

8) State-of-the-art forestry over a rotation period

We will show how different research disciplines are integrated into everyday operational forestry. How aspects like forest management, forest history, silviculture, forest operations, biodiversity, cultural remains, and soil and water protection can be combined. This excursion will take place in Uppland, at a forest property owned by Skogssällskapet. Organizers are Skogforsk (The Swedish Forestry Research Institute) and Skogssällskapet.

The following topics will be covered:

• Best management practices, including forest regeneration, silviculture, forest operations, soil and water protection, and forestry value chains
• Biodiversity and nature conservation
• Forest history and culture remains
• Public access (the right to roam) and stakeholder engagement

9) People, forest and climate change

Perspectives on the forest and exploring the relationships between forests and society in the context of climate change.

Our Future Forests node focuses on people’s knowledge of forests and climate beyond the scientific knowledge produced in research organizations. We will provide participants with a unique insight into how forest and climate knowledge is understood and interpreted by local actors in Sweden, including forest owners, tourism representatives, reindeer herders, hunters, forestry companies and environmental organizations. Together we will discuss how local actors and also citizens are key in the co-production of knowledge between society, science and academia.

Furthermore, we deliberate upon policy barriers and opportunities for implementation of alternative forestry practices and how the Swedish “freedom with responsibility” model of governance affects this. We present findings from our collaboration with SLU Swedish Species Observation System [Artportalen] and citizen science, as well as transdisciplinary dialogue processes and focus groups with local stakeholders. Our focus is on how people’s knowledge of forests and climate can help to improve the monitoring of species’ response to climate change and to create more inclusive climate action by taking into consideration the knowledge dimensions of experiences, culture, emotions and facts.

10) Conservation and forestry in practice

At the excursion we will discuss the following issues crucial for forests and society in the long run which also are core questions for Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry (KSLA):

• Forest biodiversity is under pressure from industrial forestry, climate change and other anthroprogenic factors. We will give an overview of the historical development, the current state and possible future trajections, describe conservation measures and discuss the importance of evaluation and monitoring systems.
• Sustainable forestry and wildlife management – a proof of concept? In many parts of Sweden there are large impacts on forests and agricultural land from moose, deer and wild boar. A key challenge is to balance the availability of forage, damage levels and wildlife populations. Thus, KSLA has started a long-term full-scale project to operationalize all this.
• Spruce bark beetle damage. After the exceptionally warm and dry summer of 2018 the Eurasian spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus) has killed more than 30 million m³ of Norway spruce in the largest outbreak ever recorded in Sweden. Historical development of damages, causes of outbreaks, short and long-term possibilities to reduce damages and the risk of increased damages in a warming climate will be discussed.
• The forest and the old feudal landscape. Through the historical feudal croft system, there were high incentives to deforestation which over time contributed to a lack of timber. With the ceasing of the system, and the Forestry Act in 1903, the forest cover has increased. With present forest management and nature conservation consideration, however, a shortage has occurred of quality timber for heritage building maintenance.

11) Co-management of deer and forests in a multispecies setting

Browsing by deer is recognised as one of the major sources of direct damage to production forests in Sweden. Furthermore, regenerating with less palatable species in unsuitable sites in order to escape browsing may lead to indirect costs through reduced growth and increased susceptibility to other damaging agents. At the same time, intermediate browsing pressures may increase biodiversity through disturbance and increased heterogeneity. This excursion focuses on drivers of browsing pressures, mitigation measures and how to co-manage deer and forests in boreal production landscapes under climate change.

The excursion takes place at the estate Öster malma in county Södermanland, which houses the national headquarters of the Swedish Association for Hunting and Wildlife Management (SAHWM). Neighbouring estates are owned and managed by the forest company Holmen. Furthermore, there is a Wildlife Park at Öster Malma, with ample opportunities to see all deer species occurring in the area.

Researchers from SLU as well as managers from SAHWM and Holmen will guide you through the event, providing a combination of new results from research and suggestions on applications in management.

12) Forest as a park at the Royal Parks of Stockholm

In this excursion, you will visit two royal parks – Haga and Drottningholm.

Throughout garden history natural elements such as the forest, the meadow and the lake have been included in the Drottningholm garden design, in more or less formalized ways. The participants on this tour will be guided through the different historic layers of the park. The future development of the park will be discussed.
The park at Drottningholm is also home to a large number of very old trees, mainly oaks and limes. During this park tour we will encounter some of the oldest trees in the park and listen to experts on the lichens, fungis, insects and mammals that can be found in these trees. The possible conflicts between the preservation of old trees, the historical aspects and the safety of the public will be discussed.

The Haga park has great horticultural historical value as the foremost Scandinavian exponent of the English landscape park. The park also constitutes a biological cultural heritage, mainly manifested in the old cultural landscape and the large trees. For residents of Solna and Stockholm, the Haga park today has great value as an arena for recreation and outdoor life. On this tour you will learn more about the Haga park as a product of both the original landscape and ideas from English parks.

European lime is a natural hybrid between small- and large-leafed lime.
In the English landscape park of Haga we can now admire veteran hybrid lime trees and study their ageing strategies.

13) New innovative materials from the forest – the research forefront

New materials from forest resources can help make society more sustainable, resilient, and beneficial for global development. By exploring the unique properties of nature’s components, researchers at Wallenberg Wood Science Center (WWSC) are creating innovative materials for the future based on forest raw materials.

This tour will show examples of the research carried out at WWSC at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. This means short, easily accessible presentations, visits to laboratories and the opportunity to interact with new materials and talk to researchers and doctoral students. We will also introduce the participants to some of the startups based on the research at KTH, as well as show examples of the training we conduct in the area of innovative materials from the forest.

14) Digitalisation for sustainable forest management

Digitalisation is advancing rapidly, and used wisely it will enhance our possibilities to manage forests sustainably. During this field excursion we will visit the Swedish state forest company Sveaskog and get an insight into current practical forest management and digitalisation.

We will explore Swedish state-of-the-art inventory and mapping, which provide important knowledge for planning and facilitates development of innovative digital services.

New methods and remote sensing techniques to assess forest damage, biodiversity and conservation values will be demonstrated in the field. There will also be time for informal discussions and opportunities to experience the Swedish forest landscape by foot.

Watch a video describing the excursion in more detail >

15) New technologies and innovations in forestry

Welcome to National Museum of Science and Technology located in Royal Djurgården. At this event you will listen to five cutting-edge lectures about new technologies and innovations in forestry (new ways to measures directly in the forest, remote sensing, AI, IoT and BigData). The museum also provides a brand-new exhibition “The Forest”, where many aspects of the forest and forest-based products are covered. There will also be a poster exhibition with focus on sustainability and you can enjoy the new Wisdome building, a spectacular wood construction, and hear all about the project and advantages of building in wood.