FORMICA focuses on the responses of plants. The principal objective of FORMICA is to quantify and understand the influence of microclimatic buffering in modulating the response of understorey plant individuals, populations, species and communities to macroclimate warming. Four innovative, interdisciplinary yet complementary work packages (WPs) will be carried out within FORMICA across four spatial scales. WPs1-3 will use complementary data, i.e., microclimate and plant data, from a pan-European network of plots. WP4 will integrate the findings of WPs 1-3 and model future species distributions and biodiversity impacts of macroclimate warming by specifically including effects of microclimates and forest management regimes on understorey plant species.