Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2026
Authors
Sally A. Power Manjunatha H. Chandregowda Kirk Barnett Juan Pineiro Shun Hasegawa Coline Deveautour Eleanor Gibson‐Forty Jeff Chieppa Scott N. Johnson Sarah Facey Raul Ochoa‐HuesoAbstract
Warming‐driven intensification of the hydrological cycle is altering global rainfall patterns. However, the relative importance of changes in the amount versus timing of rainfall and the role of atmospheric drivers of moisture demand in modifying relationships between rainfall, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning are currently unresolved. To address this, we undertook a 10‐year rainfall manipulation experiment in a mesic grassland in New South Wales, Australia. We used rain shelters to achieve five rainfall treatments: (i) ambient, (ii) ambient +50% (IA), (iii) ambient −50% (RA), (iv) reduced frequency (RF, cumulative ambient rainfall applied once every 3 weeks) and (v) summer drought (SD, no rain during the Austral summer). We found that inter‐annual variation in ANPP was best explained by the amount of growing season rainfall relative to potential evapotranspiration (i.e., P/PET, or aridity) (R 2 adj 0.52). Reductions in the amount of rainfall, particularly during summer, were associated with productivity decline, shifts in community composition and a loss of diversity. However, reducing the frequency of rain events had no overall effect on productivity, despite a loss of species diversity. Notably, treatment‐related declines in diversity and/or richness were associated with both increases (IA) and decreases (SD) in temporal stability of ANPP and the stabilising role of species asynchrony, thereby highlighting the importance of species identity and associated functional traits for community stability. Our study uniquely emphasises the importance of accounting for seasonal drivers of moisture demand when predicting functional responses to changes in rainfall regimes and highlights how the ecological mechanisms underpinning community stability are influenced by changes in both the amount and timing of rainfall. These mechanistic insights can enhance the predictive capacity of Earth system models and inform targeted management strategies to offset the negative effects of future, more extreme rainfall on the ecosystem services provided by global grasslands.
Authors
Bin Wang He Lyu Xueqian Zhang Mingkai Jiang Belinda E. Medlyn David Wårlind Jürgen Knauer Katrin Fleischer Daniel S. Goll Stefan Olin Xiaojuan Yang Lin Yu Sönke Zaehle Haicheng Zhang Kristian Schufft Kristine Y. Crous Yolima Carrillo Catriona A. Macdonald Ian C. Anderson Matthias M. Boer Mark Farrell Andrew Gherlenda Laura Castañeda-Gómez Shun Hasegawa Klaus Jarosch Paul Milham Raúl Ochoa-Hueso Varsha Pathare Johanna Pihlblad Juan Piñeiro Sally A. Power Peter B. Reich Markus Riegler David S. Ellsworth Benjamin SmithAbstract
The capacity of nutrient-limited forests to enhance carbon (C) sequestration under elevated CO 2 (eCO 2 ) remains a critical uncertainty in C cycle modeling. While existing evidence suggests that low phosphorus (P) bioavailability may constrain CO 2 fertilization effects on plant growth, the extent to which this limitation modulates ecosystem responses to eCO 2 in forests adapted to P-deficient soils remains poorly understood. Here, using eight P-enabled models, we simulated the magnitudes and mechanisms through which P bioavailability interacts with eCO 2 , emulating an ecosystem-scale P enrichment experiment at a P-limited Eucalyptus forest undergoing long-term Free-Air CO 2 Enrichment. While models predicted pronounced P effects on tree growth, P enrichment unexpectedly did not increase the CO 2 effects on tree growth and ecosystem C sequestration. Models prioritized either CO 2 -driven or P-driven growth, but rarely both. This tradeoff emerged due to model-specific assumptions on 1) partitioning of the extra P in soil labile versus nonlabile pools; 2) plant photosynthetic acclimation to P deficiency; 3) C and nutrient use strategies regulating plant size and allocation; and 4) microbial-driven soil decomposition processes. By generating divergent yet biologically plausible outcomes, these predictions establish critical testable hypotheses for empirical research and highlight multiple P-related pathways that may influence the future land C sink.
Authors
Junbin Zhao Mounir Takriti Per-Erik Jansson Ed Jones Mikhail Mastepanov Erling Fjelldal Cornelya Klutsch David Kniha Runar Kjær Simon Weldon Kjetil Fadnes Knut Bjørkelo Jonathan Rizzi Christian Wilhelm Mohr Gunnhild Søgaard Jagadeesh YeluripatiAbstract
Abstract Peatlands drained for agriculture and other uses release substantial carbon dioxide. Many countries estimate these emissions using the 2014 IPCC Tier 1 emission factors. Here we calibrated an ecosystem model with data from two cultivated peatland sites in Norway and simulate carbon dioxide emissions at 50 sites nationwide for 2001–2022. Model results showed that carbon dioxide emissions were strongly controlled by water table depth and aligned well with observations from other European peatlands of similar climate zones. Crucially, the Tier 1 emission factor matched our simulations only under very deep water tables (< –0.7 m), but overestimated emissions by 31–88% when water levels ranged from –0.7 m to –0.3 m. This indicates that Tier 1 methods may overstate emissions from cultivated peatlands in cool temperate and boreal regions, inflating estimates of mitigation potential. Tier 2 or 3 approaches can reduce uncertainty but require more field data.
Authors
Tor MykingAbstract
Invitert foredrag UiB i forbindelse med tildeling av æresdoktorat til Paul Smith, BCGI
Authors
Michele Torresani Vítězslav Moudrý Christopher R. Hakkenberg Vojtěch Barták Duccio Rocchini Stefano Puliti Paweł Hawryło Krzysztof Stereńczak Alexander Cotrina-Sanchez Gabriele Giuseppe Antonio Satta Luca da Ros Patrick Kacic Roberto TognettiAbstract
Monitoring forests globally through the assessment of structural characteristics is indispensable in times of increasing disturbances and biodiversity loss. The recent development of a 1-meter resolution Global Canopy Height Map by Meta and the World Resources Institute (Meta/WRI CHM) offers new opportunities for large-scale forest structure analysis. However, its reliability for estimating key forest structural metrics in selected forest sites of the Italian Alps remains largely untested. In this study, we compared estimates of canopy cover, mean and maximum canopy height, tree count, and crown size computed from the Meta/WRI CHM with the corresponding metrics computed from airborne laser scanning (ALS)-based CHMs across five forested sites in Alpine ecosystems representing diverse forest structures, species compositions, and management practices. Our results show that the Meta/WRI CHM provides reliable estimates of canopy cover (R = 0.82–0.92, RMSE = 8%–15%) and, to some extent, mean canopy height (R = 0.69–0.85, RMSE = 2.2–2.9 m). However, it substantially underestimates maximum canopy height and fails to reliably estimate tree count, positions, and crown size, overestimating the number of trees by 200–750 per hectare. In addition, the quality of the evaluated metrics estimates varied with respect to topographic gradients (i.e., slope, aspect, and altitude). Our findings define clear application boundaries for the Meta/WRI CHM in Alpine forest environments: while the product can support stand-level estimates of canopy cover and mean canopy height, it remains unsuitable for estimating maximum canopy height and individual-tree-level metrics such as tree count, tree position, and crown size. Future efforts should focus on refining global CHMs to improve accuracy and expand their applicability for forest monitoring.
Authors
Janine Schweier Raffaele Spinelli Francesco Latterini Natascia Magagnotti Rodolfo Picchio Stelian A. Borz Csongor Horvath Leo G. Bont Stephan HoffmannAbstract
Purpose of review This review traces the development of mini forestry crawlers (MFCs) from earlier small-scale skidding machines to modern remote-controlled tool carriers, and evaluates their current applications, technological characteristics, operational performance, safety, soil impact, ergonomics, and automation potential. Recent findings Recent studies show that MFCs have evolved from simple extraction-oriented machines into multifunctional platforms whose suitability depends on machine class, task–machine matching, site conditions, and work organisation. Field and bench studies report productivity, soil impacts, operator workload, remote-controlled felling performance, non-harvesting applications, and early automation functions. Summary Mini forestry crawlers are most effective in constrained-access settings and in tasks that align with their limited payload while benefitting from high manoeuvrability, remote operation, and multifunctionality. Their advantages are therefore conditional on careful deployment, particularly with respect to soil moisture, turning intensity, traffic frequency, and operator workload. Future evaluations should adopt integrated performance metrics that jointly assess productivity, soil response, and human workload under realistic operating conditions.
Authors
Tor MykingAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Introduction Leaf area index (LAI) estimation is sensitive to sensor field of view (FOV), within-plot spatial heterogeneity, and sampling layout. Because LAI influences canopy radiation transmission, microclimate and vegetation–atmosphere exchange, robust field estimation is important for biometeorological and ecosystem research. Methods We evaluated these effects in mature Norway spruce [ Picea abies (L.) H. Karst] stands in the Czech Republic across 15 sites at elevations of 407–1,019 m a.s.l., using a combined gap-fraction approach based on LAI-2200 PCA measurements and digital hemispherical photography. At each site, a measured 9 × 9 grid of 81 below-canopy measurement points with 2-m spacing was used as an operational within-plot benchmark for mean optically derived LAI and spatial structure. Monte Carlo subsampling was then used to compare how reduced layouts, including random, row-wise, column-wise, block-wise, and spatially balanced block–row–column layouts, reproduced the full-grid benchmark mean. Results Narrower FOVs produced higher stand-level optically derived LAI estimates and greater within-plot variability. The full grids also showed directional spatial structure, with stronger autocorrelation along the north–south column direction than along the west–east row direction, although this contrast weakened under the narrowest FOV. Reduced layouts with more even spatial coverage outperformed random sampling. The spatially balanced block–row–column layout performed most consistently, whereas the row-wise layout provided little improvement. Approximately 25–36 well-distributed below-canopy measurements were sufficient to keep reduced-layout LAI deviations within 0.15 m 2 m −2 of the full-grid benchmark, whereas 7–9 measurements were enough to remain within 5% of this benchmark in most stands. Discussion Spatially balanced sampling can therefore improve the robustness and efficiency of stand-level optically derived LAI estimation, with relevance to forest biometeorology, ecosystem monitoring, and the validation of satellite-derived LAI products.
Authors
Simone Bianchi Cornelia Roberge Johannes Schumacher Johannes Breidenbach Kari T. Korhonen Harri MäkinenAbstract
Sustainable forest management needs growth models. Few studies have explored regional models in Fennoscandia despite similar conditions and challenges. We examined the feasibility of regional models for basal area increment of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), and birch (Betula pendula Roth. and Betula pubescens Ehrh.). We compiled over 880,000 growth observations and estimated competition indices, climate variables, and site fertility classes by integrating data from recent National Forest Inventories (2004–2023) in Finland, Norway, and Sweden. Using Random Forest models, we identified the main growth drivers across countries (tree size, accumulated temperature sum, latitude, competition, and site fertility), with minor differences in their responses across countries. However, periodic NFI measurements could not capture the effect of additional climate variables. Using species-specific nonlinear mixed models, we demonstrated that predictive regional models can be fitted using those main drivers. Although we achieved only moderate predictive performance (Weighted Absolute Percentage Error of 45–71%, depending on the species and country), there were no residual geographical biases. The results confirm the potential of Fennoscandian growth models to address shared challenges. Future work should better account for site fertility, integrate process-based approaches for climate responses, and carry out independent validation.
Authors
Geir Wæhler Gustavsen Philip Bester Van Niekerk Jonas Niklewski Christian Brischke Gry AlfredsenAbstract
This cross-country study examineed perceptions of maintenance for coated wooden cladding in residential buildings across Norway, Sweden, and Germany. As timber cladding gains popularity in European homes, understanding expectations around cleaning, recoating, and replacement intervals becomes increasingly important. An online survey gathered responses from over 3,000 participants aged 18–89, randomly selected from representative regional panels in each country. The survey focused on the perception of maintenance practices and intervals, while also collecting data on personality traits, risk aversion, and socioeconomic background. Perceived maintenance practices for coated timber cladding differed across countries, but individual characteristics were generally more influential than national context. Most respondents accepted longer cleaning intervals than recommended, while their preferences more closely aligned with guidelines for recoating. Acceptance of replacement intervals varied markedly by country. Longer acceptable maintenance intervals were associated with a higher preference for uncoated cladding, particularly in Germany and Sweden. Younger age, urban residence, limited experience, and selected demographic and personality traits were linked to more intensive maintenance preferences.