Persons involved:
Ulrike Talkner (PI)
Luca Smekal (PhD student)
Bernd Ahrends (Postdoc, associated)
Research outline:
Understanding how the conversion of Norway spruce to European beech impacts water yield and nutrient export and identifying dominant processes is key to predicting forest ecosystem services in recovering catchments.
Tree mortality due to bark beetle outbreaks alters soil processes, leading to:
- Increased dissolved organic carbon and nitrate concentrations in soil and stream water for years.
- Variable streamflow depending on climate, deforestation, and reforestation rates.
We hypothesize that water services recover within years, but differences between ancient beech forests and those on former spruce sites will persist for decades, depending on management.
We will test these hypotheses by:
- Calibrating an eco-hydrological model using long-term datasets from Lange Bramke to simulate water responses following bark beetle infestations and subsequent beech conversion under different management strategies and climate change scenarios.
- Validating the model in an infested Norway spruce forest in Solling.
- Transferring findings to other Harz catchments.
- Developing a robust parameterization for beech forests, applying it to all experimental sites.
Our results will assess forest ecosystem resilience and be valuable for drinking water management.
Contact
Dr. Ulrike Talkner
Nordwestdeutsche Forstliche Versuchsanstalt (NW-FVA)
Abteilung Umweltkontrolle
Sachgebiet Intensives Umweltmonitoring
Grätzelstraße 2, 37079 Göttingen
Tel.: Telefon 0551 69401 248
Email: Ulrike.TalknerNW-FVA.de