Expertise
The experienced and well-coordinated teams performing our projects network closely with the sector. They combine a practical outlook with methodological research capabilities.
Forest Production
We develop solutions for efficient and sustainable forest management in Switzerland. We focus on the provision of timber resources and their use, giving due regard to forest economics and business management considerations. This involves addressing fundamental questions of how Switzerland’s forestry sector can operate within the economic environment, and which regulatory conditions are needed. We also address matters of strategic positioning and organisational development. In forest engineering, we develop cutting-edge solutions for efficient timber harvest and supply, and for the forest access essential to management.
Mountain Forests, Natural Hazards and GIS
We advance risk-based assessment of the protective effect of forests against rockfall, landslide and flood hazards. We refine fact-based, sustainable mountain and protective forest management. We conduct state-of-the-art analyses based on GIS and remote sensing, self-developed process simulation models, experiments and field surveys on site. We seek throughout to improve the management of protective forests and promote natural regeneration in mountain forests.
Forest Policy and International Forest Management
With an eye on the global issues surrounding forests and climate change, we conduct research geared to practice while also contributing to forest policy dialogue. Key topics include sustainable forest management in the tropics, inventories and modelling, economic assessment of forest products, integrated landscape management, climate strategies, forest and timber policy, and the role of society. We cooperate closely with governmental organisations, international and local NGOs, universities and the private sector in our partner countries.
Forest Ecosystems and Management
We design our research to be relevant to practice, innovative and interdisciplinary. We foster the near-natural, multifunctional and sustainable management of forest ecosystems. We address the issues surrounding forest ecology and biodiversity, forest inventories, forest growth, natural forest management and forestry planning. We develop the fundamentals and solutions needed to better understand forest ecosystems and their dynamics and maintain forest functions in a targeted and efficient manner. We network closely with partners in the field and academia, and have many years’ experience of harnessing the benefits of novel technologies.
