Mediterranean forests are considered as a hotspot of global change impacts and risks. Promoting forest health and adaptation to global change is particularly challenging because of considerable uncertainty in future socio-economic and climatic scenarios, ecosystem responses, and impacts of forest management practices, among other factors.

Forest health is an essential part of sustainable forest management. A shifting pattern in the incidence of the traditional, endemic threats to the Mediterranean forest is foreseen and this will increase the vulnerability of forests and the communities involved in ecosystem processes. Furthermore, new threats are emerging for forest health, either from trade globalization, environmental pollution or climate change.

In this context, EFI, IUFRO and CIHEAM Zaragoza organize this course to: i) provide an overview of global change trends in Mediterranean forests, as well as understand how this change impacts on forest; ii) gain a perspective of the most important climate change drivers threatening forest health in the Mediterranean and the health issues caused by different invasive plant species and forest pests and pathogens; and (iii) provide an integrated overview of the use of methods and tools for an improved assessment, monitoring and surveillance of forest health and to support informed decision making.

Besides, the course is a unique opportunity to meet and network with professionals from all over the world who are working in forest health.

More information: https://edu.iamz.ciheam.org/ForestHealth/en/