I study the ecology of goat willow and diversity of the species associated with it to understand the prospects of survival of these species in the face of global change. Goat willow is a keystone species whose regeneration depends on the occurrence of severe disturbances, particularly fire. We do not currently know whether disappearance of fire from the Fennoscandian boreal forest is threatening goat willow and its associated species. I will use drone and satellite data to map goat willow distribution, dendroecological methods to study its regeneration, persistence and mortality, and eDNA approaches to study the diversity of its associated species in primeval forests with different fire histories. The study will be carried out at University of Eastern Finland and Mid Sweden University. The project will provide important knowledge on the role of natural disturbances in promoting biodiversity and will help to assess whether goat willow can persist without active management.

2026

2030