REINFFORCE - Resource INFrastructures for monitoring, adapting and protecting European Atlantic FORests under Changing climatE

REINFORCE

 

The REINFFORCE project pools the capacity of 12 forest organizations and research institutes along 4 countries (Portugal, Spain, France, and United Kingdom) to face the transnational issue of the adaptation to climate change impacts on Atlantic forests.

The project sets up tools for monitoring climate change and its impact on the Atlantic coast, and tests the efficiency of the adaptive measures. The project results will give long-term key-information for the sustainability of Atlantic forest resources facing new climatic conditions

 

Research objectives

The key result of REINFFORCE was the setting up of a world unique infrastructure network of 38 arboretums, ranging from latitude 37° in Portugal to latitude 58° in Scotland, with the objective to monitor trends in tree mortality and growth under climate change on a long term perspective. All arboreta includes the most common European tree species as well as alternatives species and provenances that could be potentially adapted to future climatic conditions, using the same genetic material among the different arboretums.

Additionally, the project set up a network of 41 demonstration sites for testing adaptive managements within forests at high risk of damage under climate change, equipped with automatic weather stations.

This infrastructure of the REINFFORCE network is the first essential step in opening the way to further studies on potential solutions for climate change adaptation.

 

Network establishment and partners

The establishment of the REINFFORCE network was co-financed by the European Union programme FEDER-INTERREG IV Atlantic between 2009-2013, corresponding to the Programme Priority 2: Protect, secure and enhance the marine and coastal environment sustainability.

To strengthen the European network of EFI, one target of the project was to support the launch the EFI Atlantic office as a new EFI regional office (today’s EFI Planted Forests Facility). The REINFFORCE project was an appropriate starting point from which to develop the synergies between EFI Atlantic and IEFC as lead partners of the project, sharing both organisations the same project's geographical scope and the theme of adaptation to climate change.

While the REINFFORCE was a 4-year project running from 2009 to 2013, the network of 11 partners in 4 countries committed for a minimum of 15 years. Each partner is in charge of the maintenance and periodic measurement of those devices that they installed, which forms a sustainable basis for collaboration, networking and knowledge transfer.

Nowadays, the REINFFORCE network continues active in its research and communication activities, which are periodically posted in the new REINFFORCE website.

Since the arboretum trees has reached the age to produce research results, the first scientific results have been already published as journal articles and presented in international scientific events.

In addition, the REINFFORCE network aims to exploit its potential for long-term research of species adaptation to climate change impacts by exploring synergies with other research projects (i.e. HOMED, ESPERENSE, B4EST).

 

Network Partners

* Not financed by INTERREG project

Publications

Correia HA et al. 2018. Early survival and growth plasticity of 33 species planted in 38 arboreta across the European Atlantic area.
Forests 2018, 9(10), 630; doi:10.3390/f9100630

 

More information on the project website (last visited 29.7.2018)

 

Project management
Contact
christophe.orazio @ efi.int
Coordinator
Planted Forests Facility (former EFIATLANTIC)
Project Schedule
Start Date
Project Status
Completed