Research
Organisation » Scientific Research Departments » Department of Forest Establishment, Silviculture and Ecology » Research
The Department of Forest Establishment, Silviculture, and Ecology performs research in thefollowing domains:
Afforestation
- Research on modern methods of preparing land for afforestation
- Research into the possibility of using machinery to prepare land for afforestation
- Research on sowing and planting techniques
- Research on the survival rate and development of the plantations established by afforestation
- Research into the possibility of biological reclamation of degraded land
- Delimitation between agricultural and forest land
- Study of deformation (modification) of the root system caused by different afforestation techniques and technologies
- Research on development and production characteristics of forest plantations
- Economic and financial analysis of land use
- Sustainable land management
- Optimum land use in mountainous areas
- Determination of human impact on the environmental degradation in mountainous areas.
- Environmental Engineering
Silviculture - forest ecology
Research in the field of natural regeneration includes:
- Determining characteristics of stands as part of forest ecosystems (size, shape, canopy cover, composition, origin, site classes, quality, age, etc.).
- Improving the system of natural forest regeneration and monitoring the changes that occur in forest ecosystems based on biological tree properties and site factors.
- Improving the system (methods) of natural regeneration (clear-cutting, regeneration cutting and group-selection cutting) and the use of combined methods of natural forest regeneration.
- Determining the effects of applying additional measures of natural regeneration (removal of debris from the felling site, removal of the excessive living forest cover, elimination of dead forest cover, cultivation of soil in the felling site in order to improve conditions for natural regeneration) on the forest ecosystem.
- Studying the methods of coppice forest regeneration and conversion of one silvicultural form into another (by applying clear cutting or group selection cutting); conversion of coppice forests into high forests by applying indirect and direct conversion or through partial reconstruction.
- Studying the methods of converting coppices with reserve into high forests.
Research in the field of forest tending
- Research on the effects of overhead release cutting and cleaning cuts on the characteristics of tree and stand development.
- Research on the effects of thinning on the characteristics of tree and stand development by applying various types of low, crown, combined and selection thinning.
- Research on thinning techniques, thinning weight and intensity, thinning interval, methods of thinning, timber stand improvement
- Research on underplanting as a stand tending measure
- Research on the application of various chemical amendments in order to increase the yield (use of growth promoters), improvement of unfavorable chemical reactions of soil (soil amelioration), the use of chemical amendments in the tending of young stands in which felling is not an economically acceptable tending measure, destruction of unwelcome shrub and ground flora vegetation in order to protect natural young crop or the crop in the newly-established artificial plantations, rationalization of the thinning activities.
- Research on the methods of natural regeneration –factors affecting the choice of regeneration methods (natural-silvicultural factors – technical, technological and economic aspects - side factors - aesthetic characteristics of forests, ecological aspect, non-wood resources of forest ecosystems).
- Research on the silviculture of oak pure stands (conditions for successful natural regeneration of oak forests, application of the methods of natural regeneration of oak forests, regeneration of sessile oak forests, silvicultural measures in the sessile oak forests threatened by dieback, dealing with the consequences of dieback). Research on the effects of applying the method of early individualization.
- Research on the silviculture of beech pure stands (characteristics of beech forest development important for the choice of regeneration methods: natural, combined or artificial regeneration), research on the rehabilitation of beech forests with regard to climate change.
- Research in the silviculture of pure stands of fir, spruce, Serbian spruce and pine forests through the application of appropriate tending and regeneration methods.
- Research on the impact of climate change on the forest ecosystems of pure stands of oaks, beech, fir, spruce, Serbian spruce, pine and other indigenous species.
- Research on the silviculture (regeneration) of the mixed forests of: oak and hornbeam, pedunculate oak and ash, Turkey oak and Hungarian oak, sessile oak and beech, maple and ash, noble broadleaves, beech and fir, beech, fir and spruce, spruce and pine, etc. Research on the impact of climate change on mixed forests of indigenous tree species (species range shifts, increasing proportion of invasive species, etc.).
- Research on forest fruit tree species.
Research in the field of land reclamation of coppice and degraded forests
- Research on the methods of conversion, reclamation and artificial regeneration of different species; assessment of degree, duration, and intensity of degradation of forest ecosystems.
- Research into the causes of degradation (human, abiotic, and biotic) and its tendencies with regard to the impact of climate change on forest ecosystems. Monitoring of vegetation succession and species range shift, regarded as both a cause and an effect of degradation of forests and forest sites. Implementation of appropriate controlmeasures.
- Research and establishment of criteria used to determine the degree of degradation of forest ecosystems and selection of reclamation methods.
- Research into the regenerative ability of forest trees (depending on: species, site conditions, age of trees and stands, age of the stump after cutting, felling time, stump diameter and height).
- Research on forest windbreaks, forest shelterbelts established to regulate watercourses, mitigate climate change, reduce emission of gases or protect road networks.
- Research on the application of ecoremediation procedures in the reclamation of degraded areas, implementation of green technologies.
- Changes in fire-affected ecosystems and the rate of natural revitalization.
Climate change-related research
- Eco-climatology and microclimatic investigations of the conditions and changes in forest ecosystems caused by climatic changes.
- Development of climate models and the possibility of their application in forest ecosystems.
- Development, testing, and application of adaptive measures to strengthen the resilience of forest ecosystems to climate change.
- Selection of species for regeneration of natural ecosystems, reclamation of coppice and degraded forests and sites, taking climate change as a major factor.
- Design of a growth and development model using site indexes.
Research in the field of forest resources
- Assessment of wood and non-wood forest resources.
- Study of forest biodiversity.
- The use of biomass for energy production.
Research in the field of national and international legislation
- Development of national criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management (silviculture)
- Preparing country reports on quantitative indicators for sustainable forest management (MCPFE)
- Study of legal, economic, and political principles and criteria in the conservation of forest ecosystems and development of laws and regulations.
- Development of the principles of environmental ethics and environmental law and their promotion.
GIS - Geographic Information System
- Application of software packages as key tools and instruments for the adoption of measures and planning of actions in integrated environmental protection in accordance with the principles and the strategy of sustainable development.
- Analysis, identification, assessment, control and planning of activities in all spheres of forest protection, with the implementation of modern information systems (GIS) in order to protect the environment in general.
- Creating databases, integrated pollution registers, using GIS technology.
- Collection, measurement and processing of data and their GIS systematization.
- Application of methods and techniques for studying and assessing pollution and degradation of different areas.
- Monitoring of soil pollution, geological diversity, biodiversity, industrial and hazardous waste (in forest ecosystems).
- The use of satellite images in forestry and erosion control.
- Creating erosion maps (of flood regions, municipalities in Serbia, individual catchments ...).
- Development of digital thematic maps: altitudinal zonation of regions, slope relief maps, aspect-slope maps, elevation zones, digital terrain modeling, maps of hydrographic network, geological and soil maps, maps of rock erodibility, vegetation mapping, contour and surface maps, land use patterns, erosion maps ...
- Erosion prone area plans and flood control planning.
Research in the field of sustainable development
- Development of strategies towards sustainable use of natural resources and their more comprehensive evaluation, with efficient risk management and a focus on preserving the overall diversity (biodiversity), adopting a global approach to addressing development issues and finding systematic solutions for the environmental protection and enhancement.
- Research on the implementation of the strategy of sustainable development at local and regional level and in protected areas.
- Research on the application of the concept of ecological, economic, energy sustainability and its alignment with economic development.
- Research on the protection, conservation and improvement of genetic and biological resources, with particular emphasis on the ecological and economic aspects of the evaluation and valorization of natural resources.
- Harmonization of sustainable development and the environment with modern trends in terms of basic scientific research results in the field of the environment (forest ecosystems) at the national, regional and global level
- Preservation, improvement and sustainable use of the gene pool of native forest fruit species
Monitoring
- Environmental Monitoring
- Conservation and improvement of the values of biological resources
- Economy of natural capital
- Ecological security
- Methods of environmental impact assessment
- Implementation of integrated management of natural resources through research and practical application
Designing
- Study of the key elements and structures in dealing with issues of forest ecosystems -designing and controlling the process, selecting the most appropriate methods.
- Improvement of project management methods in the field of environmental protection (protection of forest ecosystems) and environmental risk assessment (legal requirement).
- Design of research and development projects that aim to ensure the stability of natural forest ecosystems and natural resource management.
- Development of interdisciplinary programmes of environmental protection and sustainable development, including fields of applied and social sciences.
- Delimitation between agricultural and forest land
Phytocoenology
Research in the field of forest phytocoenology at the Department includes:
- Study and syntaxonomic determination of forest communities using standard analytical and statistical methods (defining the form, structure and floristic composition of forest phytocoenoses by collecting a sufficient number of phytocoenological shots (releves), determining plants and compiling phytosociological tables)
- Study and analysis of ecological site conditions in which forest communities occur; study of their interactions and the effects they exert on the structure of the communities in a particular area.
- Determination of the potential vegetation succession and die-back of natural forest communities, caused by various environmental factors and interactions of forest organisms.
- Research on floristic diversity of forest communities, with special emphasis on endemic, relict, rare, and endangered species of vascular flora and aspects of their protection.
- Study of the existing and potential vegetation of a specific area in order to define the activities in the field of silviculture (assessment of stand and site degradation, selection of reclamation methods, proper selection of tree species for afforestation and land reclamation, etc).
Soil Science
Soil studies of the Department include: testing of soil and plant material for the purpose of all projects in the field of forestry, landscape architecture, environmental protection, land reclamation and erosion control which require the study of site conditions.
Field operations of the scientific discipline Soil Science include:
- Soil identification in the field
- Soil sampling
- Organic litter sampling
- Plant material sampling
Laboratory operations include:
- Testing of chemical soil properties. Accredited basic test methods are used in the study of soil chemical properties.
- Testing of physical soil properties
- Plant material testing.