White Papers & Proceedings from
the REGEFOR 2013 Workshops

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Has management of forest soil fertility reached a turning point?

Forest ecosystems are able to make particularly efficient use of nutrients, which ensures the sustainability of all soil functions. Forest soils generally have limited fertility, and trees are particularly well suited to these conditions, producing significant quantities of biomass through efficient recycling of mineral resources and microbiological associations that are highly effective at mobilizing nutrients in organic and inorganic forms. This ability is remarkable, but it depends on maintaining the ecosystem’s recycling ability, rendering the system vulnerable to anthropogenic disruption.

The 2013 REGEFOR Workshops set out to assess current knowledge in the field of forest soil fertility and the impact of stressors, encourage discussion between forest management and research, and discuss the applied aspects of soil fertility by considering different forest management scenarios in a strategic approach taking both social and economic aspects into account.

The workshop began with plenary sessions and overviews presented by experts, followed by open discussions on current management issues. Also, for the first time, a forum for PhD students was included with presentations of current research projects.

To access the full list of white papers and downloadable PDF versions, please follow this link :  Proceedings from REGEFOR 2013