2014 International Symposium on Forest Soils

Objective: The major objective of this symposium is to facilitate the development of international linkages, scientific exchanges and strategic alliances in forest soil processes, leading to fully realised, collaborative research programmes that face the realities of the effects of forest management and climate change on forest productivity and water supply. The topics of this symposium include: (1) Tracking and monitoring: advancing innovative techniques and novel approaches to simulate and monitor the effects of local management and climate change; (2) Assessing the pressures and threats: impacts of global environmental changes (especially soil warming) on carbon, water and nutrient cycling, ecosystem functioning and ecosystem services; (3) Untangling the linkages: Elucidating relationships between soil processes and ecosystem functioning and ecosystem services; and (4) Strategies for management and conservation: Practices to maintain and enhance forest productivity and ecosystem services provided by forest soils in particular for water cycling and purification. Most importantly, this symposium will promote the development of effective networks and strategies within the research community: linking soil ecological processes and management to forest productivity and water protection, particularly in the context of climate change adaptation and mitigation at both local and global scales.