Year 2026 started with great news as we are now part of a new Centre of Excellence in Anthropogenic Chemical Ecology of Forests funded for eight years by the Research Council of Finland.
The Research Council of Finland | Suomen Akatemia has selected the new Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Anthropocenic Chemical Ecology of Forests (ACE-Forest), which comprises Finnish universities and research institutes such as Natural Resources Institute Finland / Luonnonvarakeskus (Luke), the Finnish Meteorological Institute – Ilmatieteen laitos (FMI), Åbo Akademi University and the Turun yliopisto – University of Turku (UTU), and is coordinated by the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) at its Kuopio campus.
ACE-Forest is aimed at the 2026-2033 programe period and is designed to explore the concept of chemically-mediated intra- and interspecific interactions in forests with spatial and temporal resolution. The approach is based fundamentally on understanding the #chemicalecology of forests in the Anthropocene, but crosses spatial scales from the cellular formation of specialized metabolites to the tree canopy, ecosystem-wide movement and modulation of chemical cues and signals.
ACE-Forest is anticipated to yield outcomes with substantial importance in academia and beyond. These will include (i) scientific advances on ecosystem services provided by forests to society; (ii) science advocacy related to urban forests and their role in urban green spaces according to the EU Nature Restoration Law; (iii) new knowledge for policymakers related to air pollution mitigation and public health; and (iv) practical implications for sustainable forestry and agriculture.
ACE-Forest is developed and will be implemented via joint efforts of eight principal investigators (PIs). They are Professor Juha-Pekka Salminen (UTU), Docent Minna Kivimäenpää (LUKE), Docent Jorma Joutsensaari (UEF), Senior Researcher Liqing Hao (UEF), Docent Heidi Hellén (FMI), Senior Researcher Delia Pinto Zevallos (UEF), Associate Professor Tan-Phat Huynh (Åbo Akademi), and Professor James Blande (UEF), who will act as the CoE Research Director. Docent Oksana Skaldina will act as the Research Coordinator of the CoE ACE-Forest.
#ResearchCouncilofFinland #CentreofExcellence #Forestecology #Volatiles #Forestchemistry
