Lars Vesterdal

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Lars Vesterdal, born 1969. M.Sc. Forestry (1995) and Ph.D. (1998), The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University (now University of Copenhagen). Professor in Section for Forest, Nature and Biomass, Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen.

Research Lars Vesterdal has been involved in research within forest ecology and soil science since 1993. The main focus has been on decomposition of organic matter and nutrient cycling as affected by tree species, forest management and soil types. During the recent years Lars Vesterdal has taken part in international work on the contribution of forests to mitigate greenhouse effects, and carbon storage in forest soils has been a central part of his research. This work focuses on carbon sequestration following changes in management and land use, particularly afforestation of former cropland. Research on afforestation of former cropland also includes impacts on other environmental services such as water recharge and nitrogen retention. The current main research topic is tree species effects on soil C stocks and their vertical distribution, and how such effects are mediated by soil fauna and soil microbial communities.

Lars is involved in the reporting of carbon sequestration in Danish forest soils under UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol and involved in the Danish intensive forest monitoring programme (ICP Forests under UNECE). He is also vice-chair of the Scientifc Committee of ICP Forests. He is currently coordinating a project on resampling of carbon and nitrogen stocks in Danish forest soils which will contribute to the Kyoto Protocol reporting. Other research projects focus on carbon storage and dynamics in forest soils under different tree species and tree species mixtures (FP7 project FUNDIV-EUROPE ), methane and nitrous oxide emission from soils, and effect of land use change and management change on soil carbon sequestration (the FP7 project GHG-EUROPE). He currently supervises several PhD and post doc projects related to tree species effects on soil C and soil biota.

Teaching and other tasks The courses Natural resources & ecology (BSc), Ecology and Ecosystem Science in relation to Environmental Economics (Msc) and Climate Change and Land Use (MSc). Supervision of BSc, MSc and PhD theses.

Associate Editor for Canadian Journal of Forest Research and member of Editorial Board of Forest Ecology and Management. Working group leader for WG2 and member of steering committee in Cost Action 639 "Greenhouse-gas budget of soils under changing climate and land use", 2006-2010.