The COST Action CLEANFOREST organizes its first Training School on “Monitoring spatiotemporal changes in global change drivers and their effects on semiarid woodlands and forests”, which will be held in Lisbon (Portugal) on May 6-9, 2024.

Objectives

Forests are exposed to multiple global change drivers, wich can constrain their ability to continue providing several ecosystem services (including climate change mitigation). Assessing responses - and underlined mechanisms -  at the whole ecosystem scale (including both soil and tree and their interactions) is paramount for a holistic understanding of forest response to global change. The objectives of the training school incude a comprehensive exploration of various global change drivers and their impacts on semiarid woodlands and forests. Participants will gain an understanding of the interplay between forest ecosystems and key global change factors such as air quality and climate change, including extremes. Through theoretical sessions and practical workshops, participants will learn about different monitoring methods and parameters used to assess ecosystem fluxes, tree physiology, mortality, and regeneration. Additionally, participants will delve into the biodiversity and functional ecology of plants, including lichens and bryophytes, and their relationship with air quality. The training will also cover soil-related aspects, including the characterization of forest soils and their physico-chemical properties. Through case studies and a field trip to a woodland, participants will apply their knowledge in real-world scenarios, conducting measurements and assessments in different grazing management settings to understand the effects on tree growth, biodiversity, soil decomposition and physico-chemical properties. Finally, participants will engage in data treatment and analysis, synthesizing their findings to draw conclusions and recommendations for sustainable forest management in the context of global change.

Target audience

This training school is designed for Early Career Investigators (ECI): from PhD students to post-docs with up to 8 years of experience after their PhD. To comply with COST Action inclusiveness principles, we will ensure that gender and geographic balance (including ITC) will be both met. 

How to apply

We invite researchers to express their interest to participate as trainees. Participation in the Training School will be free of charge for all trainees, but it is limited to up to 25 trainees. Only applicants from Full COST Member countries and Near Neighboring Countries are eligible for reimbursement for their long-distance travel (max 500€) and accommodation and subsistence through a 150€ daily allowance - see pag. 83 in the Annotated rules for more details on daily allowance. Reimbursement request can be submitted via eCOST only after the completation of the training school. Students from outside COST Member Countries can also apply, but all expenses should be covered by their own funding.

Please, express your interest to participate as a trainee filling the google form by the 15th of March 2024. Each applicant is requested to provide (i) a short motivation letter (max 250 words), (ii) a short CV with relevant publications if any (max 350 words) and (iii) a short abstract of the participants’ current work (max 200 words). This information will be used by the organisational committee to decide which candidates will be accepted. Selected participats will be notified by the 25th of March 2024.