Time for the webinars:
Pre-course webinars: June 3/4, 2024: 9-12 a.m.
Post-course webinar: to be announced
Course content:
In this ForBio course, we will combine webinars with a 4-day field course in Central Norway (Grong). You will join daily field excursions to experience lichens, lichenicolous fungi, and the enigmatic spring fungi in their natural environment, old-growth spruce dominated boreal rainforests. In the evenings, you will receive in-house training in identification work. Most lectures will be virtual and organized as three half-day webinars, two during the week immediately prior to the field course and one shortly after.
In this training-by-doing course, the participants will take active part in a small research project, from data-collection (at the course), through analyses (optional), to publishing results as a small pilot study. This study will combine results from three separate field courses (i.e., post-project) in Sweden (completed in 2023), Norway (this course) and Finland (planned for 2025).
Background to/Motivation for the field course:
In-depth biodiversity knowledge is essential for maintaining stable and resilient forest ecosystems. At the same time, maintaining high biodiversity levels is challenging for Nordic forestry under a changing climate combined with an increasing demand for timber as building materials and for energy production. This is particularly true for the boreal rainforests that are limited in space and might be severely hit by volatile climatic conditions, such as extended dry periods in the summer months. These challenges create an urgent need for broadly trained scientists able to address these threats through relevant research projects, delivering results and tools for both sustainable forestry and effective biodiversity management practices.
Forest fungi (incl. lichens) are essential to forest ecosystems. They are crucial components of biogeochemical cycles in terrestrial environments by virtue of their unique symbiotic relationship with other organisms. Moreover, the composition and diversity of fungi tells us something about a forest’s health. Epiphytic lichens, lichenicolous fungi and spring fungi are well-known indicators for habitat quality and frequently used for monitoring the health of old-growth forests and for evaluating management practices.
What you will learn:
- best practices in collecting specimens for research and fungarium deposition
- species recognition of boreal, spruce dominated rainforest lichens, lichenicolous fungi and spring fungi
- species identification using relevant identification literature and microscopy
- the relevance and procedures of DNA barcoding
- inventory of lichens, lichenicolous fungi and spring fungi in boreal spruce forests
Prior knowledge prerequisites
Either basic knowledge in biodiversity science/mapping, an interest in fungal/lichen systematics/ecology, or a background in forest ecology and conservation. Basic knowledge in lichenology or mycology will be an advantage.
Teachers:
Mika Bendiksby, University of Oslo, Norway
Andreas Frisch, University of Oslo, Norway
Starri Heiðmarsson, Northwest Iceland Nature Research Centre, Sauðárkrókur, Iceland
Annina Kantelinen, University of Helsinki, Finland
Jon Klepsland, Biorehab Klepsland, Norway
Thomas Læssøe, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Göran Thor, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
Credits: The course program is equivalent to 2 ECTs for participants who complete the inventory tasks and post-course webinar, which will be graded as pass/fail. ForBio will provide certificates for those that successfully complete and pass the course assignment.
How to get there: The best way to reach Grong is by train from Oslo or Trondheim. Alternatively, you can join our rented minibuses from Oslo (Monday, 10 June, early morning) or Trondheim (afternoon) to Grong. We will send more detailed information to those accepted for participation in the course.
Registration and selection process: ForBio reserves the right to give priority to PhD candidates having their research focus on relevant topics for the course.
Application Deadline: Closed
Maximum number of participants: 18
Target groups: Students at master- and PhD levels, biodiversity consultants, and foresters.
Working language: English
Course organizers:
Mika Bendiksby and Andreas Frisch
Registration: There is no course fee. ForBio will not cover travel and accommodation for ForBio members or ForBio associates attending to the course.
Contact: Quentin Mauvisseau - Micah Dunthorn for practicalities.