Latvian Council of Science agreement No. lzp-2018/2-0349
Windstorms are the major cause of damages in forests across Europe (c.a. 164 mil. EUR in last 10 years in Latvia alone) and will continuously increase in importance due to climatic changes. Therefore, aim of the study is to provide decision support tool and reliable information on financial impact of wind storms for the target group – forest owners as well as for policy makers. In the project data from existing large-scale research plots, tree pulling experiments (for birch) and analysis of wind-damage impact on wood assortment structure and traits will be combined to comprehend and adapt (for Baltic States) the existing and emerging possibilities to model potential impact of cyclonic wind storms. Results will improve the sustainable use of local natural resources for the development of a knowledge-based bioeconomy, provide novel scientific information on a number of aspects of wind resistance (7 manuscripts), serve as basis for further scientific cooperation, development of new projects, PhD thesis (2) and will be essential to improve research capacity in adaptive forest management.
Results
- Tool for wind damage probability assessment in forest stands
- Spreadsheet for assessment of financial impact of wind damages in birch stands
- Spreadsheet for forecast of financial impact of wind damages in birch stands during the rotation cycle
- Progress of the publications of research results:
Manuscript-1
Manuscript-2
Publication in Silva Fennica (2021)