Category: webinar

5 December 2025 | 14:00 – 15:00 CET

Long-term nitrogen fertilisation enhances tree growth and soil carbon retention in boreal forests

The HoliSoils Webinar Series continues this December with a new session exploring the effects of long-term nutrient management on forest productivity and soil health.

Sustained nitrogen fertilisation has been practiced in Finnish forests for more than six decades, offering unique insights into how nutrient inputs shape tree growth, soil processes and carbon dynamics. This webinar presents findings from long-term field experiments that reveal how moderate, repeated nitrogen additions influence forest productivity and soil carbon retention.

We are delighted to welcome:

Anni Palvi
Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)
Tree growth and productivity responses to long-term nitrogen fertilisation in Scots pine forests

Boris Tupek
Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)
Soil carbon and microbial responses to sustained nitrogen input in boreal ecosystems

The session is moderated by Aleksi Lehtonen (Luke).

Watch webinar recording here!

Download the speaker’s presentation (in PDF)

18 November 2025 | 14:00 – 15:00 CET

Introductory lecture on forest soils, monitoring and mapping

The HoliSoils Webinar Series, launched in September, continues this autumn with new sessions exploring forest soils and climate. We are pleased to invite you to the first webinar of November.

Forest soils are the foundation of terrestrial ecosystems, providing essential services such as nutrient cycling, water regulation, and carbon storage. Understanding their composition, structure and function is key to promoting sustainable forest management and climate resilience.

This webinar provides a comprehensive introduction to forest soil science, with a focus on monitoring and mapping techniques across Europe. The session also explores key European initiatives, methodologies and challenges for assessing forest soils and their role as major carbon sinks.

We are delighted to welcome:

Stephan Mantel
ISRIC – World Soil Information
Fundamentals of forest soil description, classification and functions

Laura Poggio
ISRIC – World Soil Information
Challenges of mapping forest soils for Europe

The session is moderated by Dr. Vera Makowski (Thünen Institute of Forest Ecosystems).

Watch the webinar recording here!

Download the speakers’ presentations (in PDF)

HoliSoils is hosting an autumn webinar series addressing soils and climate. Sessions will highlight new approaches to monitoring, biodiversity, peatlands and microbial processes, with opportunities for exchange and discussion.

The HoliSoils project is pleased to announce its Autumn Webinar Series, running from September to October 2025, with the possibility of further sessions later in the year. The series will feature six webinars on soil health, monitoring and climate change mitigation, open to researchers, practitioners, policymakers and other stakeholders.

The programme will begin in September with webinars on microbial interactions in soil carbon decomposition and the role of biochemistry in supporting microbiology. October sessions will focus on monitoring mineral and peatland forest soils, the influence of moss vegetation on methane emissions from forestry-drained peatlands, and the importance of monitoring forest soil biodiversity.

Each webinar will include presentations from experts involved in HoliSoils and partner organisations, followed by opportunities for discussion.

For the most up-to-date information and to register, please check the HoliSoils webinars page.

22 October 2025 | 14:00 – 15:00 CEST

The importance of forest soil biodiversity monitoring

As part of the HoliSoils project, we are pleased to invite you to the sixth session of the HoliSoils webinar series.

Forest soil biodiversity underpins nutrient cycling, carbon storage, and ecosystem resilience. Yet monitoring remains a challenge. This webinar explores why biodiversity monitoring is essential and how harmonised methods developed within HoliSoils can support it.

We are delighted to welcome:

Dr. Tijana Martinović
Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences

Dr. Martinovic presents recent findings on microbial responses to natural disturbances and forest management across diverse forest types, and explain how biodiversity data can inform sustainable management and climate strategies.

The session is moderated by Dr. Vera Makowski (Thünen Institute of Forest Ecosystems) and highlights how soil biodiversity monitoring contributes to forest resilience and climate change mitigation.

Watch webinar recording here!

Download the speaker’s presentation (in PDF)

20 October 2025 | 13:00 – 13:45 CEST

Ditch methane emissions from boreal forestry-drained peatlands

As part of the HoliSoils project, we are pleased to invite you to the fifth session of the HoliSoils webinar series.

Methane emissions from ditches in boreal forestry-drained peatlands are influenced by moss vegetation, with important implications for both forest management and climate reporting. This webinar explores how vegetation impacts ditch methane emissions and how this knowledge feeds into Finland’s national greenhouse gas inventory and sustainable forest practices.

We are delighted to welcome:

Dr. Tuula Larmola
Dr. Leena Stenberg
Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)

Dr. Larmola and Dr. Stenberg present recent research on the role of moss vegetation in regulating ditch methane emissions and demonstrate methods for predicting moss coverage in peatland forest ditches. Their insights underline how soil and vegetation monitoring can strengthen GHG reporting and guide climate-smart management strategies.

The session conclude with a discussion and is particularly relevant for scientists, LULUCF experts, and stakeholders working on peatland management and climate mitigation.

Watch webinar recording here!

Download the speakers’ presentations (in PDF)

15 October 2025 | 14:00 – 15:00 CEST

Monitoring of peatland forest soils

As part of the HoliSoils project, we are pleased to invite you to the fourth session of the HoliSoils webinar series.

Peatland soils play a central role in both forest management and climate protection, but they also present unique challenges for monitoring and greenhouse gas reporting. This webinar addresses how improved monitoring of peatland forest soils can support sustainable management while contributing to climate goals.

We are delighted to welcome:

Dr. Aleksi Lehtonen
Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)

Dr. Lehtonen explains how monitoring approaches can help quantify the impacts of management practices on peatlands, and how soil data can inform strategies that balance climate mitigation with forest productivity.

The session includes a discussion moderated by Dr Vera Makowski (Thünen Institute of Forest Ecosystems) and is especially relevant for scientists, LULUCF experts, and stakeholders interested in peatlands, forest soils, and climate policy.

Watch webinar recording here!

Download the speaker’s presentation (in PDF)

8 October 2025 | 14:00 – 15:30 CEST

Monitoring of mineral forest soils

As part of the HoliSoils project, we are pleased to invite you to the third session of the HoliSoils webinar series.

Soil monitoring is a cornerstone for understanding soil condition and long-term trends. Unlike agricultural soils, forest soils require a distinct monitoring approach, reflecting their unique properties and functions. This webinar explores why forest soils differ, what aspects are crucial for their assessment, and how harmonisation can support Europe-wide monitoring efforts.

We are delighted to welcome:

Dr. Vera Makowski
Dr. Nicole Wellbrock
Thünen Institute of Forest Ecosystems

Dr. Makowski and Dr. Wellbrock present the HoliSoils approach for harmonised monitoring of mineral forest soils in Europe. Their talk highlights the specificities of forest soils, discusses methodological requirements, and explains how improved monitoring supports reporting under LULUCF and advances soil health policies.

The session concludes with an open discussion and is particularly relevant for scientists, LULUCF experts, and practitioners engaged in soil monitoring and sustainable forest management.

Watch the recording here!

Download the speakers’ presentations (in PDF)

23 September 2025 | 11:00 – 11:45 CEST

How biochemistry may support microbiology? New tools and perspectives

As part of the HoliSoils project, we invite you to the second session of the HoliSoils webinar series.

Microorganisms are key players in soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics, particularly in boreal forests where fungal communities contribute substantially through microbial necromass. Yet quantifying their role remains a scientific challenge. This webinar delves into how advanced biochemical techniques can enhance microbiological insights and improve SOC assessments.

We are delighted to welcome:

Dr. Bartosz Adamczyk Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)

Dr. Adamczyk presents innovative biochemical approaches (including liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry) and explores how they complement metagenomic tools to quantify fungal biomass and necromass. He introduces new molecular markers in the session and discusses how integrating microbiological, biochemical, and gas flux analyses can enrich our understanding of soil processes. These insights are vital for sustainable forest management and climate change mitigation strategies.

This session includes a Q&A segment open to scientists, policy-makers, and stakeholders interested in soil health, forest ecosystems, and climate resilience.

Watch recording here!

Download the speaker’s presentation (in PDF)

17 September 2025 | 14:00 – 15:30 CEST

Challenges in Modelling Microbial Interaction in SOC Decomposition

As part of the HoliSoils project, in collaboration with the IUFRO Task Force T58, we invite you to the first session of the HoliSoils webinar series.

Microbial communities are the main, and possibly only, drivers of soil carbon decomposition. Yet including them in models to improve accuracy remains a major challenge. This webinar explores the issue from different angles, presenting potential approaches and discussing their limitations.

We are pleased to welcome three leading experts:

• Stefano Manzoni, University of Stockholm, Sweden
  Modelling of organic matter decomposition: From empirical rate constants to process-based models
  
  
• Elisa Bruni, École Normale Supérieure (ENS), France
  Can we “simply” integrate microbial diversity into soil carbon models?
  
  
• Erik Schwarz, University of Stockholm, Sweden
  Challenges in microbial-explicit soil carbon models: when and why can they be unstable?

The speakers bring strong expertise in soil biogeochemistry, microbial ecology, and ecosystem modelling. Their presentations highlight key conceptual and methodological issues, as well as insights from HoliSoils and related research.

The session includes a Q&A segment and is open to scientists, policy-makers, and stakeholders interested in soil carbon modelling, climate change mitigation, and soil health.

Watch webinar recording here

Download the speakers’ presentations (in PDF)