The research project models long-term changes in boreal and subarctic ecosystems by combining ecology and history. The research will be conducted in sites where land-use has changed vegetation already decades or centuries ago. By doing this, the research provides information on factors that determine the direction and persistence of changes in ecosystems and how these factors impact carbon stocks.

– This research is topical because climate warming changes ecosystems in the north. One of the most common problems in ecological research is that it is uncertain whether results from short-term experiments apply for the long-term. Our goal is to create a new research model that could be used in the long-term studies of ecosystem processes, says University Researcher Sari Stark from the Arctic Centre at the University of Lapland.

The project involves researchers from the fields of plant ecology, microbiology, geography and history. The project is led by the Arctic Centre at the University of Lapland and partners come from Finland, Sweden and Norway.

Historical sites as a novel tool for predicting long-term boreal and subarctic ecosystem change (HISTECO) project takes place from 1 September 2019 to 31 August 2023.

For further information:

University Researcher Sari Stark
Arctic Centre, University of Lapland
+358 40 484 4254, sari.stark(at)ulapland.fi

LaY/AK/JW