The replacement of successive tree generations is a fundamental process which shapes the structure and dynamics of forest ecosystems and essential ecosystem services. Conditioning this process are the complex relationships between the spatial and temporal patterns of tree death (i.e. gap formation) and the recruitment and growth of young individuals. In this project, Magdalena Żywiec (hereinafter: MŻ) will investigate natural forest regeneration in an exceptionally well preserved area of Europe – the subalpine spruce forest of Mt. Babia Góra (Western Carpathians, Poland) – which remains in a nearly primeval state. MŻ will investigate the natural regeneration of two phylogenetically distant tree species which differ in a number of ecological and functional traits, making the results from this project generalisable to a range of European tree species. To address our general objective (i.e. to comprehensively understand the replacement of tree species generations), an inclusive evaluation of the spatio-temporal relationships between canopy gaps and natural tree regeneration must employ sophisticated state-of-the-art ecological models based on rigorous empirical data. This requires a strong background in point pattern analysis in addition to deep knowledge of the natural history of the studied system. MŻ will acquire comprehensive skills in aspects of different modelling disciplines such as spatial point pattern analysis, marked point pattern analysis and generalised linear mixed models. This project presents an excellent opportunity to integrate recent advances in spatial point pattern analysis (SPPA) with field data exhaustively collected during the last several decades. Finally, the novel approach to be applied and the long-term series of ecological data to be used make this proposal unique in Europe and the fellowship will lead directly to original results of huge significance for European forests preservation.

Vegetation fire patterns depend on environmental drivers that are expected to change in the future, including climate and the expansion of agriculture and associated fire practices into natural ecosystems. In return, fires have a major influence on vegetation distribution, the carbon cycle and climate. It is important to anticipate the result of these interactions on future ecosystem dynamics and carbon emissions, and to integrate these outlook when designing societal strategies for climate mitigation. Such an integrative approach is especially relevant to terrestrial policies (e.g. REDD), which could drastically modify global landuse patterns and thus the anthropogenic footprint on fire regimes. In a first stage of the proposed research, we will improve our understanding of fire drivers through innovative observation data assimilation methods. We will focus on depicting the influence of climate and fuel on fire intensity, and of human activities on fire incidence, which are well-recognized research priorities. In a second stage, we will deploy this knowledge in multi-disciplinary settings to provide the first assessment of future fire regimes under economic, agricultural and climate scenarios. We will use existing and new scenarios from integrated assessment models with particular attention to design experiments of maximum relevance to the environmental policy commitments of the European Union.

<< Background >>Currently, all climate change forecasts predict an increase in drought and average temperatures across Europe with a consequent expansion of the fire season, promoting changes in vegetation, loss of biodiversity, decreasing the quality of environmental services and contributing to global warming. The climate is changing more in northern Europe than in other parts of the world, so these countries must urgently take measures to mitigate the impacts and adapt. Similarly, regional climate change models also highlight the importance of developing new forest fire prevention strategies in the Mediterranean, which is considered a high-risk area. According to the recent publications of the European Commission regarding wildfires, investing in fire prevention will be prioritised. Education and raising risk awareness amongst future generations has a central role in the sustainability of fire prevention.The main objective of the EduFire Toolkit project is developing a set of multidisciplinary teaching resources following a Project-based Learning methodology, together with activities designed to encourage community participation, aimed at secondary school teachers and students (12-16yr) in relation to real and local challenges related to climate change and wildfire risk reduction.The project takes a transversal approach with concepts around fire, wildfires and climate change and aims to engage with the curricula of the different disciplines (CETIAM). Thus, it will demonstrate how they are related to each other while promoting participation, structuring the materials in different levels of concretion according to the level, rhythm and educational needs, taking into account diversity. The project-based learning methodology will be used, allowing students to acquire knowledge and key skills through developing projects that respond to real-life problems.All the resources and results of the project will be open access, useful as tools to complement the teaching and learning process, and help the educational community to address the problem of climate change, and particularly in relation to highly relevant wildfires.<< Objectives >>The main objective of the EduFireToolkit project is developing a set of multidisciplinary teaching resources following a Project Based Learning methodology, together with activities designed to encourage community participation, aimed at secondary school teachers and students in relation to real and local challenges related to climate change and wildfire risk reduction. Based on an initial analysis of the state of the art and existing good practices in the field, two educational modules will be developed following the AbP methodology for the first and second cycle of compulsory secondary education (12 to 16 years), which will accompany a series of resources and participatory activities integrated into a community-based design, collected in a toolkit (Toolkit) developed through identifying the needs and analysis of good regional practices in southern and northern Europe together, which, as a central axis, address climate change and wildfires. Throughout the project, the needs will be analyzed for each context and policy recommendations will be collected to address the deficits detected in the subject of wildfire in secondary education.Specifically, the EduFire Toolkit project will address the following individual objectives:- Identify, analyze and share existing good practices in Europe and other parts of the world in the field of secondary education on the problem of climate change and the prevention of large forest fires.- Design two educational modules and supporting material as didactic resources and participatory learning activities based on competencies and following a Project-based Learning educational model where students, their teachers, families, the rest of the the community and its key stakeholders, participate in fire prevention programs in their community.- Implement a pilot test in each country involved (Spain, Portugal and Ireland) to test the educational resources and activities developed in adaptation to climate change and prevention of forest fires, where a secondary school or institute and the key actors of the the community, to evaluate, obtain recommendations and local adaptations. These exercises will allow us to see how the same program adapts to different European realities, serving as a precedent for future implementations in North and South Europe.- Develop an open repository of digital educational resources based on up-to-date scientific information on climate change and prevention of large forest fires, available to first and second cycle teachers and their students, using language that is respectful and sensitive to age, gender and identity diversity in general.- Collect a series of political recommendations, identifying the challenges of educational policy in fire prevention in the different regions of Europe.- Carry out an effective dissemination plan throughout the project that ensures the circulation of project results, focusing on increasing awareness of the risk of forest fires among key stakeholders in education and future generations, taking into account gender equality, citizen participation, access and ethics.<< Implementation >>The project has 6 work packages or activities:• Initial analysis (state of the art) of identification and evaluation of the best practices in the different regions represented by the consortium.• Design of teaching resources and participatory activities that can be replicated on a European scale.• Pilot phase, a test will be carried out per participating country to validate the resources and establish improvements.• Develop a repository of open access resources available in 4 languages.• Collection of political recommendations at different scales, regional, state and European.• Dissemination of the project through the website, communication actions, social networks and multiplier events for each of the association's partners.<< Results >>The result of the project consists of 5 resources developed to be sustainable over time:1) Initial analysis (state of the art). Research and national reports on both positive and malpractice in education on forest fires and climate change. The objective is to carry out in-depth research on national or European educational resources and policies on school education in the aforementioned topics. Leader: PCF2) Two modules of didactic material based on Project-Based Learning with didactic material adapted to the first and second cycles of Compulsory Secondary Education (12-16 years) based on the competencies of the STEAM approach. The material is expected to be distributed through educational communities at European level such as eTwinning. Available in 4 languages. Leader: LCC.3) Toolkit (Leader: PCF), consisting of:- Teacher guide available in 4 languages.- Different resources considering different learning styles: content presentations, collaborative map app (interactive and innovative tool to share information and collaborate with students from different countries) and Audiovisual material: educational video to train on forest fires and climate change. Available in 4 languages, and a set of infographics to convey educational concepts about fire risk in an innovative way for youth. Available in 4 languages and in the sign language of each participating country.4) Design of community participation activities. Design of a methodological framework to implement a community participation activity replicable to different European regions. Leader: UOC5) Policy recommendations. A set of educational policy summaries collected during the project to consider education policy as a key dimension to consider if we want to promote a prosperous future in awareness and prevention of wildfire risk in the context of climate change. Leader: ISA.

Forest Flux will revolutionize forestry value added services in Earth Observation (EO) by creating and piloting a cloud-based service for committed users on forest carbon assimilation and structural variable prediction using Copernicus data. The revolution is driven by sustainable forest management and anticipated by EU forest strategy, the Bioeconomy Action Pan, and the demands of environmentally aware end-users of wood industry products. Until recently, detailed information on forest carbon cycle has not been available due to a lack of scientific understanding, spatial data availability, limited processing capacity, and the complexity of implementing this information in business processes. Forest Flux will use the explosive increase in high-resolution EO data by Copernicus program and developments of cloud computing technology. It will implement world-first service platform for high-resolution maps of traditional forestry variables together with forest carbon fluxes using a holistic approach in a single processing chain. By the end of the project, forestry and carbon data will be completely integrated into the decision-making processes of selected core users and establish the leadership of European industry in sustainable utilization of forest resources. The relevant algorithms have been recently demonstrated by consortium partners. The computing infrastructure is specifically targeted for EO data and forestry users, and will be fully functional by the end of the project. The web-based human and machine interfaces will allow market access unrestricted by country boundaries and facilitate easy commercial interactions of players of different sizes and backgrounds. Dedicated user involvement, strong commercial interests, rapidly developing online markets, and demonstrated excellence of the consortium make the Forest Flux service platform sustainable beyond the end of the project.