Our Research

BIFoR aims to provide fundamental science, social science and cultural research of direct relevance to forested landscapes anywhere in the world. We make the evidence-based case for forests as part of one-planet living.

We are a virtual institute of over 100 academics, primarily from the schools of Geography Earth and Environmental Sciences and Biosciences but also including members from Mathematics, Engineering, the Business School, International Development, Psychology, English, and elsewhere.  

Our research can be broadly sectioned into four key areas: 

2024 FACE v2Forests and climate - including research from the BIFoR Free Air Carbon Dioxide (FACE) facility, BIFoR FACE.


The impact of climate and environmental change on woodlands 

2024 Forest Health

Forests and health - including  tree pathology, microbial ecology, priming / immunity, plant physiology and genetics  


The resilience of trees to invasive pests and disease
 

2024 Global v2

Gobal forests research - including  forest dynamics, ecology, hydrology, biodiversity and biogeography and paleobotany 

 
Big data approaches across space and deep time

2024 Urban and interdisciplinary v2

Urban forests and interdisciplinary research - including green infrastructure, cultural research, sustainable development and economics, health and wellbeing, chemistry and maths 
Understanding the wider importance of trees and forests to human and non-human actors 

All Research Publications

All Doctoral Research (60+ students)