Day of Science - FORBIO: an open-air laboratory for the forests of the future

Climate change has a major impact on our forests. On the one hand, forests help the climate by absorbing and storing CO₂ from the air. On the other hand, they themselves are increasingly dealing with extreme weather conditions, such as prolonged drought and heavy storms. As a result, it is becoming more difficult for forests to remain healthy and fulfill their important role for the climate. How can we better prepare forests for the future? That is one of the major challenges for forest managers. Biodiverse forests with many different tree species seem to be more resistant to the consequences of climate change. But which species go best together and why some mixtures perform better than others is not yet fully clear. To learn more about that, the large-scale FORBIO experiment was started in 2010. This open-air laboratory investigates how different tree species grow together and how they contribute to strong, healthy, and climate-robust forests. During this excursion, you will get to know the FORBIO experiment. Under the guidance of a professor from Universiteit Gent Kris Verheyen and postdoctoral researcher Haben Blondeel, you will discover how the research was set up and what insights it has yielded so far.