Photo: Jenny Svennås-Gillner, SLU
Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation allocates SEK 272 million to a strategic research initiative on forestry research at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). The grant includes funding for a new research school within Future Silviculture, five recruitment packages to establish new research groups and the extension of two ongoing research programmes. One of them is coordinated by UPSC.
The future use and conservation of forests is in the centre of this strategic research initiative at SLU. The main part of the grant is allocated to a new research school in Future Silviculture which will be coordinated by the Faculty of Forest Sciences. More than 50 doctoral students including 14 industry doctoral students will be trained in this research school involving also doctoral students and researchers from UPSC.
The grant will also cover five recruitment packages for new research groups. Two of them will be established at UPSC. Moreover, the two ongoing research programmes “Future Silviculture”, coordinated by the Department of Forest Ecology and Management at SLU, and “Forest Biology and Biotechnology”, coordinated by UPSC will be extended until 2030.
“Together with the already existing support to the “Future Silviculture” and “Forest Biology and Biotechnology” projects, this represents by far the largest investment we have ever seen in forestry-related research”, says Ove Nilsson, director of UPSC and coordinator of the research programme “Forest Biology and Biotechnology". “This will provide a solid foundation and stability for the basic research and knowledge needed to develop a sustainable forestry taking into account both productivity, survival and biodiversity aspects in the face of a changing climate.”
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