Research groups
The department consists of 11 research groups, listed below.
Forest & Nature [ForNaLab]
Research within ForNaLab aims at understanding the interactions between the ecological processes, composition, and structure of terrestrial ecosystems, with a clear link to management and policy.
Laboratory of Quantitative Forest Ecosystem Science [Q-ForestLab]
Q-ForestLab contributes to an increased understanding of ecosystem functioning in a changing environment, to nature conservation and development cooperation. To do this, we train scientists and conduct question-driven research on vegetation ecology and biogeochemistry of terrestrial ecosystems.
Wood Technology [Woodlab]
Research within Woodlab focuses on scientific and technological aspects of wood and maintains close contacts with all segments of the wood-processing industry and research groups involved in the forestry-wood chain.
Hydro-Climate Extremes Lab [H-CEL]
Research within H-CEL comprises remote sensing observation of hydrological variables and data assimilation, physically-based modelling of surface hydrology and land-atmosphere interactions, application of advanced mathematics to hydrology, ecology and climate and the study of global hydrology and climate from observations and models.
Soil Spatial Inventory Techniques [ORBit]
Research within ORBit focuses on all related aspects of surveying soil properties in 3D.
Precision Soil and Crop Engineering [PreSco]
The vision of the Precision Soil and Crop Engineering (PreSco) group is to combine cutting-edge sensors and advanced data fusion and geostatistical modelling approaches with system control technology to optimise farm input for sustainable increase in yield.
Soil Contamination [SoCon]
Research within SoCon focuses on increasing knowledge on processes that govern fate and transport of chemicals in soils, through education and research. Knowledge on mutual interactions between water/fluid flow, transport and reactions of chemicals in soils is necessary to design soil management and soil remediation measures.
Soil Degradation and Conservation [SoDeCo]
Research within SoDeCo focuses on the various aspects of soil degradation, soil erosion and land evaluation that envisages a sustainable management of our soils.
Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management [SoFer]
Research within SoFer focuses on the dynamics of nutrients and organic matter in soils.
Soil Genesis [SoGen]
Research within SoGen focuses on measuring and modelling the formation of soils in their landscape context, as influenced by climate and land use change in the past as well as into the future.
Soil Physics [SoPHy]
Research within SoPHy focuses on the physical and hydraulic properties of and processes in the unsaturated (vadose) zone of the soil, and on small-scale techniques for in site water conservation and rainwater harvesting.