LAWI000957 Natural Disturbances in Mountain Forests - Ecology and Management

Type
course with non-continuous assessment
Semester hours
2
Lecturer (assistant)
Lingua, Emanuele , Scheidl, Christian
Organisation
Mountain Risk Engineering
Offered in
Sommersemester 2026
Languages of instruction
Englisch
Content

The course covers foundations of disturbance ecology in mountain forests, including regimes, severity, spatial patterns, and concepts of resilience and adaptive capacity. It examines key disturbance agents—fire, avalanches, rockfalls, wind, and biotic outbreaks—and their interactions with terrain and stand structure. Cascading and compound events are analyzed (e.g., windthrow–insect–fire sequences) alongside feedback to carbon, hydrology, and biodiversity. Global change drivers (warming, drought, extreme events, land-use shifts) and their impacts on disturbance regimes are integrated. Management focuses on protective forests, with pre-disturbance prevention and mitigation, post-disturbance response and restoration, and the use of mapping, monitoring, and decision-support tools.
Previous knowledge expected

Basic knowledge of forest ecology and silviculture, natural hazard management and general familiarity with European mountain forest contexts are recommended but not mandatory.
Objective (expected results of study and acquired competences)

Students will learn the disturbance ecology of the main disturbance agents that are affecting European mountain forests (e.g.fire, avalanches, rockfalls, wind, etc.). Cascading and compound effects as well as global change impact on disturbance regimes will be considered.
Students will acquire knowledge on pre and post disturbance practices devoted to impact mitigation, hazard prevention, and restoration of forests subjected to disturbances. Special focus will be on protective forests, where the ecosystem service provision should be recovered quickly
You can find more details like the schedule or information about exams on the course-page in BOKUonline.