Last week, the FORECOMON Conference was successfully held in Prague, Czechia. The conference motto was “Monitoring for future forests”.  

On Tuesday, June 11, the participants discussed research results on the influence of air pollution and extreme weather events on long-term processes in forest ecosystems. The knowledge exchange about new monitoring approaches to support resilient forests was also on the agenda.

On Wednesday, 12 June, the focus of the FORECOMON was on an issue that has affected many forest areas in Europe suffering from drough under climate change: bark beetles. Among other things, the participants visited recent extensive clearings caused by bark beetle infestations in the area of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands and learnt about the methods applied by local foresters in cooperation with the Forestry and Game Management Research Institute for timely reforestation.

Many thanks to all participants and special thanks to the organising team from the Czech Forestry and Game Management Institute!

Photo: Michelle Dörner