Content
Content In this module, students perform a fieldwork study to identify the determinants of carbon capture and storage in European deciduous forests. Mitigation of climate change impacts is an important topic in sustainable development. One possible mitigation measure is to secure the storage and capture potential of existing forests, or the planting of new forests. Which measures are most effective, however, strongly depends on the regional context, including climatic and edaphic factors. Focusing on two field sites reflecting typical conditions for European deciduous forests, students will test to what extent general findings reported in the literature apply to this specific context. Apart from (indirect) measurements of carbon storage, students learn to use determination keys to identify plant and tree species.

Aim and format
Week 1: Students work in groups of 4-5 persons, starting with describing the state-of-the-art in forest carbon dynamics research. From this state-of-the-art, a specific hypothesis will be distilled and an experimental design will be developed that enables testing of these hypotheses.
Week 2: Fieldwork sessions will be alternated with exercises on data analysis with SPSS. When the fieldwork is finished, a scientific report will be written.

Attendance
Due to the short duration and intensive nature of the lab course, 100% attendance is required.