2021 > 08
The new SITES-Spectral mast at Stordalen. Photo: Magnus Augner.
"To the uninitiated, coming to the Stordalen mire to pick cloudberries or do some birdwatching, the area probably causes some raised eyebrows. Instead of a tranquil, wide mire landscape, it may seem more like a “Sculpture park” with quite strange installations.
The most recent additions to the installations are wooden structures that reduce precipitation, simulating drought conditions, and the new SITES-Spectral mast. The old Spectral mast fell over when corrosion made one of the guy wires break. The new construction has four aluminium legs for stability, with some extra guy wires attached to the top of the mast proper. The mast itself is easily lowered, swung around a fulcrum half-way up – so there is no need to climb it.
Right now, we are in the process of putting up signs, both for the area as such, and for each installation. To make this easier for the researchers, we provide them with poles with mounted wooden plates, and templates for the signs."
Mikael Andersson (on the left) is hosting one of the groups in a 29-year-old stand of Hybrid larch. Photo: Kristina Wallertz.
Almost 60 forest owners participated in the event as a part of the project “Climate adapted forestry”. The theme of the excursion was focused on tree species selection in a changing climate as well as windthrow mechanisms and mitigation of risk with silvicultural tools. During the event participants were guided through Asa's forest stands, such as the 29-year-old stand of Hybrid larch (Larix x marschlinsii) as seen in the photo above.
The event was held in cooperation with Linneaus University and Vuxenskolan.
Intern Pierre Mothes (left) and research assistant Sanna Bergquist (right) are removing the Liefplan equipment before the second harvest of grass. Photo: J. Wallsten
In May, Röbäcksdalen and Lönnstorp station received the good news that they can be a part of the Lifeplan project, which is a global project to monitor biodiversity. Many of the other SITES stations are already participating. However, intensive management and the urban location of the two agricultural stations made it difficult to fit into the original model of Lifeplan. However, SITES and Lifeplan have now agreed on a modified participation for the two agricultural stations.
The modified participation includes two monitoring activities, where Lifeplan provides the equipment and SITES supports analyses cost. The stations will collect insects, with a Malaise trap, and spores, with a cyclone sampler. The samples will be collected and analysed in the same way as for the regular participating Lifeplan stations.
The Lifeplan equipment will be on the same field the whole experimental period. Photo: J. Wallsten
The Lifeplan project at Röbäcksdalen will follow the crop rotation of one of the fields. A crop rotation is typically five years; one year with barley, one year with ley establishment undersown in barley and then three years of ley. Since Lifeplan will continue for five more years, chances are good that the collections at Röbäcksdalen will be made during all the different crop rotations. This system means the Lifeplan equipment will have to be removed from the field each time there is a harvest or a management practice taking place on the field.
If things go well, Röbäcksdalen hopes to continue to collect biodiversity samples even beyond the scope of the Lifeplan project. All data from this collection will be available on the SITES Data Portal, and additional information on the fields will be available through the SMURF data project- compiled data from the dairy barn’s 300 ha cultivated land.
2021 > 08
The new SITES-Spectral mast at Stordalen. Photo: Magnus Augner.
"To the uninitiated, coming to the Stordalen mire to pick cloudberries or do some birdwatching, the area probably causes some raised eyebrows. Instead of a tranquil, wide mire landscape, it may seem more like a “Sculpture park” with quite strange installations.
The most recent additions to the installations are wooden structures that reduce precipitation, simulating drought conditions, and the new SITES-Spectral mast. The old Spectral mast fell over when corrosion made one of the guy wires break. The new construction has four aluminium legs for stability, with some extra guy wires attached to the top of the mast proper. The mast itself is easily lowered, swung around a fulcrum half-way up – so there is no need to climb it.
Right now, we are in the process of putting up signs, both for the area as such, and for each installation. To make this easier for the researchers, we provide them with poles with mounted wooden plates, and templates for the signs."
Mikael Andersson (on the left) is hosting one of the groups in a 29-year-old stand of Hybrid larch. Photo: Kristina Wallertz.
Almost 60 forest owners participated in the event as a part of the project “Climate adapted forestry”. The theme of the excursion was focused on tree species selection in a changing climate as well as windthrow mechanisms and mitigation of risk with silvicultural tools. During the event participants were guided through Asa's forest stands, such as the 29-year-old stand of Hybrid larch (Larix x marschlinsii) as seen in the photo above.
The event was held in cooperation with Linneaus University and Vuxenskolan.
Intern Pierre Mothes (left) and research assistant Sanna Bergquist (right) are removing the Liefplan equipment before the second harvest of grass. Photo: J. Wallsten
In May, Röbäcksdalen and Lönnstorp station received the good news that they can be a part of the Lifeplan project, which is a global project to monitor biodiversity. Many of the other SITES stations are already participating. However, intensive management and the urban location of the two agricultural stations made it difficult to fit into the original model of Lifeplan. However, SITES and Lifeplan have now agreed on a modified participation for the two agricultural stations.
The modified participation includes two monitoring activities, where Lifeplan provides the equipment and SITES supports analyses cost. The stations will collect insects, with a Malaise trap, and spores, with a cyclone sampler. The samples will be collected and analysed in the same way as for the regular participating Lifeplan stations.
The Lifeplan equipment will be on the same field the whole experimental period. Photo: J. Wallsten
The Lifeplan project at Röbäcksdalen will follow the crop rotation of one of the fields. A crop rotation is typically five years; one year with barley, one year with ley establishment undersown in barley and then three years of ley. Since Lifeplan will continue for five more years, chances are good that the collections at Röbäcksdalen will be made during all the different crop rotations. This system means the Lifeplan equipment will have to be removed from the field each time there is a harvest or a management practice taking place on the field.
If things go well, Röbäcksdalen hopes to continue to collect biodiversity samples even beyond the scope of the Lifeplan project. All data from this collection will be available on the SITES Data Portal, and additional information on the fields will be available through the SMURF data project- compiled data from the dairy barn’s 300 ha cultivated land.
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