Forest Ecology
The development of methods for mapping species abundance and diversity is required for forest management and conservation. It is important to understand how the conversion of oldgrowth forests to managed forests affects the structure, function, and species diversity of ecosystems and whether converted forests will eventually recover to a state that mimics many of the traits of old-growth stands. Methods for the development and dynamics of the ecosystems from a newly disturbed to an old-growth stand and the development of tools for predicting vegetation succession are fundamental. Of importance in the short term is the reliable projection of some specific, important stand features. However, evolution to a substantial spatio-temporal scale which will investigate stand dynamics for exploring environmental, and particularly climatic, changes for forest management is crucial.
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