Forest plant biodiversity is more and more exposed to climate change. As a result of the increasing frequency of forest disturbances, the line of defence offered by tree canopies can decline.

The specific focus of this research is how drought and forest disturbances will affect microclimate and other environmental variables which then in turn can affect forest plant population and community dynamics.

We make use of observational (e.g. resurveying forest vegetation plots) and experimental research (e.g. drought experiments in forests) in combination with models (e.g. species distribution models) to better quantify drought and forest disturbance impacts.