Summer School Forests and Extremes

Forests and Extremes: Crisis or Transition?

Begin: 18 August 2024

End: 25 August 2024

Location: Davos, Hotel Shima

Organized by: WSL Research Program Extremes, SwissForestLab, NFZ.forestnet

Language: English

Type of event: Courses

Target audience: PhD students, MSc students in their final year and Postdocs from any country

Fig. 1: Forests and Extremes. Illustration by Astrid Björnsen, WSL 2024

Is early browning in European forests a harbinger of tree death or simply a sign of temporary stress? In 2018, science could not answer this question. But one thing was clear: the frequency of extreme events, including droughts, had increased after the hot summer of 2003. Even though droughts also occurred during the last century, they were not accompanied by such high temperatures as today. And on top of climate warming, various manifestations of global change trigger a multitude of cascading processes in and around forests. It’s complicated...

The Summer School „Forests and Extremes: Crisis or Transition?” (August 18-25, 2024, Davos) wants to face up to the complexity of compound and cascading events. Alongside national and international experts from multiple disciplines, participants will expose themselves to the unknown: the future of terrestrial ecosystems with a focus on forests! Through field excursions, input lectures, group assignments, and ample opportunities to interact with peers and practitioners, participants will acquire practical and theoretical knowledge on future extremes. This includes understanding their expected impacts on functioning and services of forests and other ecosystems, the consequences for society and economy, and possible response options.

The Summer School is jointly organized by the WSL Research Program Extremes, the SwissForestLab and the NFZ.forestnet.

Please see our flyer for more information

 

Application for the Summer School

  • Due to high demand, the APPLICATION DEADLINE has been shortened to March 15, 2024.
  • The Summer School is open to PhD students, MSc students in their last year and PostDocs in forest research and related disciplines from any country.
  • For your application, please provide your CV (one page), a letter of motivation (one page) and an abstract of your PhD/MSc thesis or your current project (half page). 

 

Costs

Fees: 1'000 Swiss Francs (excluding VAT). This includes accommodation (shared rooms!) at the Hotel Shima (https://www.shima-davos.ch/) and vegetarian meals from dinner on August 18 to breakfast on August 25, course materials, and excursions. Accepted participants are expected to cover their travel costs.

Organizing committee

 

Contact 

swissforestlab_summerschool(at)wsl.ch