Long term experiments
ForNaLab has established multiple long-term open-air experiments to improve our insights into the impact of a variety of biotic and abiotic drivers on ecological processes.
FORBIO
FORBIO refers to the effects of tree species diversity on FORest BIOdiversity and ecosystem functioning. The FORBIO experiment is part of the Tree Diversity Network TreeDivNet, a global network of tree biodiversity experiments offering "a million and more trees for science". The experiment was established between 2009 and 2012. At three sites with contrasting site conditions, trees were planted with plots consisting of one up to four tree species. Various aspects of ecosystem functioning can thus be compared between plots that differ in tree species richness but have developed under the same abiotic conditions. The sites are located in Gedinne (Gribelle, Gouverneurs), Zedelgem and Hechtel-Eksel.
TWIG
TWIG stands for Tree Wheels In Geerbos. The experiment was established near Geerbos in Melle in 2017. Circular plots were planted with one up to three tree species and from high to low tree density. The main research focus is investigating how tree density affects the diversity effects on tree growth and carbon sequestration.
Pastforward
PASTFORWARD is a scientific research project focusing on herb layers in temperate forests and how their composition changes over time in response to global change. The project specifically investigates whether the history of a forest (e.g. recent forest planted on agricultural land versus ancient forest) determines the way herb layer communities respond to global change. [www.pastforward.ugent.be]
In the PASTFORWARD experiment, established in Belgium in 2016, we experimentally apply three global change treatments (warming, light addition and nitrogen addition) to initially similar herb layer communities grown on soil with a different land-use history (ancient forest vs recent forest soil).
FORMICA
FORMICA is a scientific research project aiming to assess the role and importance of microclimatic buffering for the response of forest plants to climate warming in temperate forests. [www.formica.ugent.be]
The FORMICA experiment is a in situ heating and illuminating experiment on artificial herb layer communities, established in 2019 in three regions across a latitudinal gradient in Europe (Italy – Belgium – Sweden), and across two microclimatic gradients: complex vs. managed forests and forest edge vs. core. The experimental setup is still running and followed up in Belgium.
CanopyChange
CanopyChange is a project focused on drought effects in interaction with changing light regimes in temperate European forests.
The CanopyChange experiment is an in situ drought experiment installed in several sites in Europe in which drought is experimentally induced using rainout shelters. The experiment started in 2026.