Frank Sterck, Professor at Wageningen University & Research and project leader of the forest experiment.
Background. My fascination for the beauty, complexity and diversity of nature is at the base of my choice for becoming forest ecologist. I studied the ecology of trees in wet and dry tropical forests, as well as temperate forests. I combine intensive field campaigns with theoretical tree and forest models to understand the performance of trees (growth, survival and reproduction) from underlying mechanisms. I use this approach to improve insights on tree performance and species distributions along environmental gradients within forests, and across forests and climates up to continental scale.
This project. Since 2018, my colleagues and I started a large-scale forest experiment with the aim to calibrate forest management to the responses of trees and soil to increased drought. I lead the partnership of scientists and forest managers who collect the data in this forest experiment and who develop forest models to use our new insights for creating so-called “climate-smart” forests. I consider this work a unique test case for increasing the productivity, resilience, biodiversity and carbon storage of forests with ongoing climate change.
contact: frank.sterck@wur.nl
Climate Smart Forestry 