Our Ecosystem Management Team leader, Kadri Runnel, gave a presentation on 29 November at the Kew Herbarium in London – a place regarded by biologists as the forefather of all herbaria and the historical heart of biodiversity research. Over a hundred people learned about the connections between Estonian and UK forest ecosystems.
The photo shows Kadri with the books she received at the event.
Kadri explained that the United Kingdom is one of the three countries that import the most Estonian wood pellets, i.e., green energy coming from our forests. Since this sector is supported by government subsidies, demand is higher than it would be under normal market conditions, directly affecting the intensity of forest management in Estonia.
In her talk, Kadri also highlighted what works well in Estonian forest ecology: forests in protected areas are aging, their value is increasing, and this is already reflected in the abundance of some old-growth forest fungi. At the same time, a major challenge is protecting fungi in commercial forests and understanding how forest fragmentation affects biodiversity.