Siberian Federal University (Russia, Krasnoyarsk), Shushensky Bor National Park (Cheremushki, Russia) in conjunction with Swiss Federal Institute of Forest, Snow and Landscape Research and ATR organize international summer school entitled “Plant ecology and digital wood anatomy”.

The national park “ShushenskyBor” in Russia is a fascinating piece of nature in the Altay-Sayan region, almost unknown for ecologists and tree-ring researchers. It presents fantastic landscapes, extremely interesting vegetation belts and forest dynamic processes, and a unique combination of plants. Fritz Schweingruber will show its vegetation diversity and teach you how to disclose the age and anatomical secrets of herbs, shrubs and trees populating the region.

You will see and study

• forest-steppe associations
• intra-mountain pine steppes along the Yenisey river
• riparian pine forests
• regenerating forests after wind-fall 
• timberline trees
• shrubs on the south and north-facing slopes and moraines
• the difference between limestone and granitic substrates

The school program includes, but is not restricted by short, day-time, trips to the wild nature for sampling and observing ecological features of the region. It also includes theoretical and practical classes for learning basic principles and methods of dendroecology, digital xylem anatomy and their applications in evaluation of climate, geomorphology processes, forestfire history, forest dynamics, hydrology, tree physiology. Practical classes include sample sectioning with the microtome, microscopic examination, digital imaging, cell measurements, seminars on the respective topics. Special attention is paid to the cellular structure of annual rings and mathematical modeling of their growth and functions.

Sponsors: Siberian Federal University, Ministry of Education of Russian Federation (project 784),  Russian Scientific Foundation (project 15-14-30011)

Coordinators:
Fritz H. Schweingruber (Switzerland, Swiss Federal Institute of Forest, Snow and Landscape Research)
Eugene A. Vaganov (Russia, Siberian Federal University)

Instructors:
Fritz H. Schweingruber (Switzerland, Swiss Federal Institute of Forest, Snow and Landscape Research) ) – ecological diversity and plant stem anatomy
Eugene Vaganov (Russia, Siberian Federal University) – tree-ring growth and genetics
Nikolay Stepanov (Russia, Siberian Federal University) – vegetation and ecological diversity of Shushensky Bor
Alan Crivellaro (Dept. TESAF, University of Padova, Italy) – stem anatomy
Marina V. Bruykhanova (Russia, V.N. Sukachev Institute of Forest) – ecological application of data on cellular structure of tree rings
Patrick Fonti (Switzerland, Swiss Federal Institute of Forest, Snow and Landscape WSL) – digital wood anatomy and anatomical databases
Vlad Shishov (Russia, Siberian Federal University), Irina Sviderskaya (Russia, Siberian Federal University) – modelling of tree-ring growth and structure

Expected Number of Participants
Russian Federation – 16
Other countries – 16

Registration Fee – 200 euros
It covers accommodation, meals, field trips, excursions, teaching materials

Financial support is available for 6 participants from Russia

Dead line for registration and application for financial support – 06, May, 2016

Contact person – Dr. Irina Sviderskaya, isvider@mail.ru