Jean-Christophe Hervé with the Forest Inventory Laboratory will present a seminar on the topic :

Recent developments in the national forest inventory and associated research issues

2 April 2015 — Conference Room
INRA, Champenoux
13h30 —14h30

_________________________________________________________________________

France put in place relatively early (1960) a permanent program of forest resources assessment. The inventories were first organized by department according to cycles of about ten years. This system was used until 2004. The inventory method changed considerably in 2005 in that researchers transitioned to assessing continuous inventories for the mainland French territory by observing essential characteristics each year to arrive at a representative sample for the entire area concerned. Overall results are updated annually. The reasons for this change and developments associated with this method of continuous inventory allowing forest resources and their evolution to be characterized (rates of growth, harvesting, mortality) will be presented together with a new image of forests in France – a dynamic, new perspective.

The role of the FRA (forest resources assessment) in France will be also placed in an international context, particularly European, in which the issues of climate change and the strong dynamic of forests on this continent, as well as the political context of a reunified Europe have contributed strongly to rekindling interest inventory tools for national forests. This has also led to an emerging need greater harmonization at the international level, a process in which Europe plays a leading role. The presentation will discuss the new research issues associated with FRA, both at the level of increasing knowledge about forests for optimal use of inventory tools and new opportunities in the field of information production for forest resources and monitoring forest ecosystems.

____________________________________________________________________

2 – 6 June 2015
Centre Prouvé — Nancy

An international cultural and scientific event open to anyone interested in science communication. Researchers, PhD students, mediators, business leaders, journalists or those just curious, are welcome.  Registration is open!

For more information about the event, follow this link — Science & You
Read about Survivors in the most recent newsletter — Newsletter #10 – 23 March 2015

Experimental forest site in Montiers

Forest ecosystems play an important role in global biogeochemical cycles and have also many other environmental contributions (air and water quality, carbon storage). Sustainable forest management guarantees forest multi-functionality. 

A day dedicated to presenting current research taking place on the experimental forest site in Montiers (http://www.nancy.inra.fr/en/Outils-et-Ressources/montiers-ecosystem-research) recently took place on Friday, March 20th at the INRA Nancy-Lorraine Center in Champenoux. The symposium was designed for researchers, research students, technicians, and forest managers working on the site of Montiers and for researchers who would like to work on the site or who are working on similar studies on other sites. Roughly 50 scientists participated (Univ. Louvain-la-neuve, Univ. Paris Sud, Univ. Strasbourg, Univ. Pau, Univ. Lorraine, Center G. Lippman, Andra, ONF, INRA Nancy BEF, IAM, EEF, LERFOB, DynAMic).

Following a presentaton about the Montiers site, the program included 15 presentations on biogeochemical cycles (water, nutrients, boron, selenium, chlorine), on quantification of certain stocks or flows (atmospheric dust, tree growth, soil fertility, energy balance, efficiency of production) and on soil microbiology (fungal and bacterial communities). The colloquium closed with a round-table discussion on the future of research at the Montiers experimental forest site, highlighting in partiular work at the multidisciplinary level.

The next in the series of Workshops on Research and Forest Management will be held in Champenoux from 15 to 17 June 2015 on the theme :

Forest management responding to innovations in the wood sector

_________________________________________________________________________________

The forestry-wood industry in France has been in decline for a number of years. A recent emergence of new technologies and innovations in wood products and wood uses, however, may make a turnaround possible. These innovations are numerous and relate to current wood use (strong growth in wood-energy), but also to chemical advances and  composite materials, to new uses (with a sharp rise in using wood in construction), and to new processing techniques (such as automated robotic systems for sawing and milling).

Forest management in France has to date made significant changes in response to climate change and changing land uses, and must now address these developments and new uses in the timber markets. The most important questions facing the industry as a whole are now about adequate available resources, but also economic balance and viable distribution of added value along the chain from wood production to wood uses through first and second transformations. Finally, in a context where climate change mitigation, functioning of the circular economy and analysis of life-cycles are integral parts of any industrial approach, the relevant question is how to produce tools to efficiently evaluate economic and environmental aspects of a system, from the forest to the end product and ultimately, what is returned to the atmosphere.

The objective of this workshop will be to present emerging innovations in wood uses and to analyze balances between existing industrial needs and available forest resources, distinguishing research and development issues for exploiting existing resources and future resources. It will aim to provide insight into analyzing economic and environmental assessments of the production chain, including forest management. Finally, it will attempt to identify current and potential innovations in resource management and evaluation, which in turn directly impact supply. The workshop will build on conclusions from the Working Group 4 “Research-Development” to further develop the National Plan for Forest-Wood. It will feature summary presentation sessions, presentations by volunteers and open forum round table discussions.

The scientific council of REGEFOR 2015 will be issuing a detailed program in March which will provide registration instructions and practical information. You can participate now in the process of developing the content of the REGEFOR 2015 Workshops by sending e-mail to celine.ranger@nancy.inra.fr to suggest projects for study and research or experiments which could be the subject of presentations and discussions.

The workshop is organized by INRA, AgroParisTech, the University of Lorraine and GIP-ECOFOR. Participants will include students enrolled in the master FAGE program on Wood, Forest & Sustainable Development. The content of the workshop will be published in a special edition via open access by La Revue Forestière Française.

To access the full list of white papers and downloadable PDF versions (in English) from REGEFOR 2013, please follow this link :  White Papers from REGEFOR 2013

If there is one issue that concerns us all, it is climate change. This binding issue is what motivated AgroParisTech Alumni, in partnership with AgroParisTech and UniAgro, to organize a series of three meetings in 2015 dedicated exclusively to the climate: ClimA.

_______________________________________________

The overall objective will be to produce a white paper based on discussions and proposals from our community of life-science engineers, intended to contribute to international negotiations in the context of the upcoming United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP 21 – Paris – 30 November – 11 December 2015) to be hosted this year in France.

Nicolas Hulot will open the ClimA meetings that will take place on March 10, June 16 and September 15, 2015.

These three meetings will present an opportunity to hold open discussions, exchange to co-construct the “White Paper on Agronomy in France” with the support of perspectives presented by several guest speakers renowned for their skills and expertise.

Among these speakers will be: Sylvie Bénard (R 76), Environment Director of the LVMH group, Chairman of the Strategic Committee of the Foundation for Research on Biodiversity (FRB) and former President of the OREE association (Organization for Corporate Environmental Responsibility); Professor Gilles Bœuf, Professor at the Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC) and president of the National Museum of Natural History; Dr. Valérie Masson-Delmotte, paleoclimatologist; André-Jean Guérin (GREF 74), Treasurer of the Nicolas Hulot Foundation and standing member of the Economic Social and Environmental Council; Professor Harold Levrel, Professor of Environmental Economics at AgroParisTech; Dr. Thierry Stadler (IAE Lille & UST Lille I), General Director of the competitive cluster for global industry and Agro Resources; Eric Allain (PG 83 and ENA) General Director of FranceAgriMer; Stéphane Gin (PG 82) Director of Agricultural Insurance for Groupama and Expert from the Directorate Mission for Natural Risks (MNR) of the French Federation of Insurance Companies (FFSA) and of the Association of mutual insurers (GEMA); Carole Fonta (ENSMIC-IST 95) Sustainable Development Director of the National Food Industry Association.

For graduates and current students of AgroParisTech, SupAgro Montpellier, Agro Campus Ouest, of the ENSA-INP Toulouse, of ENSAIA of Nancy, of ENSA in Algiers, member schools of the Fésia and more widely, and all French Agronomy Schools, your collective professional and associative experiences in all areas will at once provide a rich base for complex debates on multi-level interactions and promote our courses and our values!

Join us in making this event an unforgettable experience!

The debates will be broadcasted live on the internet via streaming from the Centre Sèvres in Paris with interactivity with a dozen sites throughout all of France, thanks to support by the regional groups of the UniAgro federation.

When : March 10, June 16 and September 15, 2015 from 19h00 to 21h30
Where : G Amphitheatre at AgroParis Tech (14 rue Girardet – Nancy)

5th Wood Construction Forum
Palais des Congrès Centre Prouvé Nancy

April 15-17 2015

________________________________________________________________________________

After three successive editions in Baune (Burgundy) and then last April in Besançon (Franche Comté), the Wood Construction Forum (FCB) is preparing for its next event – at the new Centre Prouvé in Nancy on April 16 & 17 2015.

The event in Nancy will be preceded by a vast exposition which will be held in Epinal on April 15, with presentations and on-site visits to architectural projects in and around Epinal, located in the Vosges.

The workshop themes will reflect issues facing architecture today: keeping production local (in France) by constructing with local tree species, building with hardwoods, designing and constructing large-scale wood structures, construction for collective housing projects, heat insulation, new construction possibilities using solid wood lamented panels, utilizing grey energy, digital modeling, and energy conservation for the horizons 2020 and 2030 ..

For more details, please follow this link – FBC Program

White Papers & Proceedings from
the REGEFOR 2013 Workshops

______________________

Has management of forest soil fertility reached a turning point?

Forest ecosystems are able to make particularly efficient use of nutrients, which ensures the sustainability of all soil functions. Forest soils generally have limited fertility, and trees are particularly well suited to these conditions, producing significant quantities of biomass through efficient recycling of mineral resources and microbiological associations that are highly effective at mobilizing nutrients in organic and inorganic forms. This ability is remarkable, but it depends on maintaining the ecosystem’s recycling ability, rendering the system vulnerable to anthropogenic disruption.

The 2013 REGEFOR Workshops set out to assess current knowledge in the field of forest soil fertility and the impact of stressors, encourage discussion between forest management and research, and discuss the applied aspects of soil fertility by considering different forest management scenarios in a strategic approach taking both social and economic aspects into account.

The workshop began with plenary sessions and overviews presented by experts, followed by open discussions on current management issues. Also, for the first time, a forum for PhD students was included with presentations of current research projects.

To access the full list of white papers and downloadable PDF versions, please follow this link :  Proceedings from REGEFOR 2013

Emeline Hily is young researcher in environmental economics with the Joint Research Unit Laboratory of Forest Economics (LEF). Her research focuses on the development of financial incentives to encourage forest owners to protect biodiversity on their land in a context of climate change.

_______________________________________________________________________

Last September, together with six other PhD students and Postdocs supported by LabEx ARBRE, Emeline helped organize the first ARBRE PhD and Postdoc Seminar – with great success.

Recently, Emeline  completed the Science and Mediation doctoral course, a project which prepares PhD students studying with the University of Lorraine to develop how they communicate their science and work with a non-scientific public.

She is currently working on her thesis in a cross-disciplinary context, as part of a collaboration between the LERFoB and LEF joint research units at INRA.

To read the interview Emeline granted us recently, please follow this link  –
ARBRE Interview – Emeline Hily

2015 marks the second year for “Science and Mediation”, a cross-disciplinary doctoral program jointly offered by the University of Lorraine, LabEx ARBRE and INRA, in partnership with the associations Paris-Montagne and La Vigie de l’Eau.

The Association Paris Montagne, based in Paris, is a program geared to making science and research accessible to youth from disadvantaged and isolated areas. La Vigie de l’Eau offers a meeting place and educational center for the general public, students and researchers in Vittel.

On January 12-13, the Science and Mediation program welcomed back 29 doctoral students from eight doctoral schools associated with the University of Lorraine. The diverse range of disciplines and fields of research represented within the program has considerably enriched discussions and exchanges.

The program includes an introduction to scientific mediation punctuated by a debate on the question “Why is scientific mediation important?”, as well as work on the scientific approach and presentations by each PhD student in which they present his or her work to non-specialized audiences (highlight profiles of doctoral students who have completed the program are available at the following address : http://eureka.lorraine.eu/jahia/webdav/site/eureka/shared/simpleviewer/110616_fr/index.html.

For details about the content and organization of the program, please follow the following links :
Science and Mediation doctoral program_Part 1
Science and Mediation doctoral program_Part 2