Description du sujet de thèse

Short- and medium-term impacts of planting on biodiversity and ecosystem services: respective influence of silvicultural history, species planted and associated silvicultural practices

Contexte de travail

The thesis is part of the PEPR FORESTT program, aimed at forest resilience (50% funding obtained), in the targeted project dedicated to forest regeneration. In most cases, forest regeneration occurs naturally. But with climate change, planting is increasingly encouraged. However, the effects of planting raise questions. The aim of the thesis is to help identify the short- and medium-term impacts of planting on biodiversity and ecosystem services. The PhD student will carry out biodiversity surveys in 2 or 3 lowland regions (including Hauts-de-France) chosen by the team working alongside him/her, on 120 plots in plantations and, for comparison, in naturally regenerated forests. In each region, one species will be studied, and several parameters will be investigated: the effect of plantation, species, age and planting methods. The PhD student's analyses will incorporate the results obtained by other researchers in the team, in terms of both biodiversity and ecosystem services (wood production, carbon sequestration, pest regulation, recreational activities, etc.). On this last point, depending on his/her profile and assisted by an intern, the PhD student may be asked to conduct interviews to gather the views of stakeholders in the forest-wood sector and society (residents and users).