Department of Environment

Forest & Nature Lab (ForNaLab)

About ForNaLab

The Forest & Nature Lab (ForNaLab) consists of about 30 staff members and is headed by Prof. Kris Verheyen, Prof. Lander Baeten, Prof. Pieter De Frenne, and Prof. Jan Mertens. The research group is part of the department of Environment, and member of the Natural Capital research theme of the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering at Ghent University, Belgium.

Research mission

The Forest & Nature Lab focuses on understanding the complex relationships among ecological processes, composition, and structure within terrestrial ecosystems to help addressing topical management and policy issues. The lab studies forest, grassland, agricultural, and urban ecosystems, and seeks to answer the following key research questions:

  1. How are biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and ecosystem services interconnected?
  2. How are global environmental changes impacting biodiversity and ecosystem functioning?
  3. How can we leverage these insights to develop nature-based solutions for societal challenges in close collaboration with practitioners and other stakeholders?

The research endeavors of the Forest & Nature Lab are part of the broader and more comprehensive expertise in forest science within the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, which is organized into three large, complementary research groups. The Forest & Nature Lab contributes its extensive experience in forest ecology, biodiversity, and ecosystem management. This integrates with cutting-edge research of Q-ForestLab in remote sensing, modeling, biogeochemistry, and tropical forests. Enhancing this synergy, UGent-Woodlab specializes in forest growth, wood structure, the development of bio-based building materials, and innovation in forest products. This trio of research groups encompasses ecological, technological, and management perspectives of forest sciences, facilitating a deeper understanding of the complex nature of global forests. This integrated interdisciplinary approach positions the faculty of Bioscience Engineering as a leader in forest science,  sustainable forest management and forestry wood chain topics, serving as a catalyst for pioneering scientific advancements.