phaeno science talk: Trees under water stress

Hot summers and long dry spells are putting our forests under increasing pressure. But how can we actually tell that trees are suffering from water stress – often long before any damage becomes visible? And how can we assess the condition not just of individual trees, but of entire forests?

In this talk, the two speakers, Dr Christina Hackmann and Dr Anne Klosterhalfen, take the audience on a scientific journey of discovery: from the individual tree to the entire ecosystem. Drawing on insights from research into water balance, growth and exchange processes between the forest and the atmosphere, they will show how researchers investigate the ‘stress status’ and resilience of forests – and what this can tell us about the future of our forests in the face of climate change.

Speakers:

Dr Christina Hackmann is a forest ecologist in the Department of ‘Forest Management and Forest Ecology of Temperate Zones’ at the University of Göttingen and a member of the FoResLab Climate and Future Laboratory.

Dr Anne Klosterhalfen is a bioclimatologist at the Institute of Bioclimatology at the University of Göttingen and a member of the FoResLab Climate and Future Laboratory.