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Nordic forest ecosystem under the magnifying glass

Date: 2010.02.15

By Egbert Beuker, Finnish Forest Research Institute

Evoltree includes 44 partners from 15 European countries, and it links four major disciplines (genomics, genetics, ecology and evolutionary studies). One of the sites chosen for intensive study is located in Punkaharju in Eastern Finland.

Intensive Study Sites (ISS) are part of the permanent infrastructure that is set up under Evoltree. These large scale ecosystem plots comprise entire portions of landscapes – agricultural land and woodlands – where trees are present in different configurations, from single trees to edges and woods. The objectives of the ISS are:

Set up of an European network of sites for long term research on the evolution of biodiversity at different hierarchical levels (from genes to phenotypes, from populations to community)
Assess the spatial structure of biodiversity at various scales and at different hierarchical levels
Monitor the population dynamics through demographic and genetic approaches, in trees and their associated species, over different spatial scales
Monitor the interaction between species (trees, other plants, vertebrates, insects and microorganism)
Provide a large-scale support for training, education and dissemination activities

Spanish trainees measuring larch seedlings in the nursery of the Punkaharju Research Unit. Photo: Teijo Nikkanen, Metla

In total there are seven ISSs, five of them covering boreal (Punkaharju, Finland), temperate (Sollingen, Germany), Mediterranean (Ventoux, France), alpine (Valais, Switzerland) and riparian (Loire, France) ecosystems, one a fully untouched ecosystem (Blyzin, Poland) and one an intensively managed site (Landes, France).

The Punkaharju Research Unit is one of the 9 research units of the Finnish Forest Research Institute Metla. Punkaharju has a long history in research on forest tree breeding and genetics. Research in the area started already in the 1870’s with the introduction of exotic tree species. The current staff of the Punkaharju Research Unit is about 40, of which 8 researchers. The main research targets today are biotechnology, tree breeding, wood quality, enhanced production and utilization of genetically improved forest regeneration material and utilization of exotic conifers and special forms of native forest trees. The area includes about 1250 ha of research forest, including the oldest cultivated forests in Finland from 1842. The Punkaharju Research Unit was chosen to represent the ISS of the boreal ecosystem because of:

Diversity and comparability within the site
Well-documented research history and available data sets
Long-term perspective
Excellent technical facilities (i.e. state-of-the-art biotechnology laboratory, special greenhouse units designed for genetically modified plants, nursery, field observations, measurements, sampling, data handling, accessibility, lodging)
Local expertise available

Several research activities within Evoltree are making use of the facilities in Punkaharju. Researchers from Evoltree partners visit Punkaharju to carry out experiments and/or to take DNA samples from various tree populations, or associated populations, such as insects and mycorrhiza.

Within each ISS a number of so called permanent sample plots are selected. From these plots DNA samples of trees are collected and submitted to the repository center in Austria. This way a library of DNA samples from different tree species over different ecosystems is built. Because all the sampled trees will be georeferenced (accurately located) they can be used any time in the future for further studies. In addition a database has been set up where relevant data from each ISS will become available.

The Punkaharju Research Unit also participates in several other EU projects and networks, including Treebreedex, Noveltree, Euforgen, ICP Forests and FutMon. Several foreign researchers and trainees work at the research unit each year.

Additional information on Evoltree: http://www.evoltree.eu/

Additional information on the Punkaharju Research Unit: http://www.metla.fi/pu/index-en.htm

Contact person ISS Punkaharju:
Egbert Beuker
Finnish Forest Research Institute Metla
Punkaharju Research Unit
Finlandiantie 18
FIN-58450 Punkaharju, Finland
tel. +358 50 391 4223
egbert.beuker@metla.fi