CESAM marks International Day of Forests and World Tree Day on March 21, highlighting the fundamental role of trees and forest ecosystems in promoting environmental resilience and societal well-being.
More than just elements of the landscape, trees are remarkable examples of adaptation, persistence, and resilience. Over decades and often centuries, they withstand droughts, storms, and profound environmental changes. They grow slowly, adjust their physiology to environmental conditions, and maintain complex networks of interaction with soil, microorganisms, and other species. Their survival depends on a dynamic balance between biological, ecological, and climatic processes.
Forests therefore play a central role among the most relevant ecosystems at the global scale. They contribute to climate regulation, carbon sequestration, soil and water protection, biodiversity conservation, and the provision of essential ecosystem services for societies and territories.
At CESAM, research focuses on understanding the functioning of forest ecosystems and developing solutions that enhance their resilience in the face of current challenges, including climate change, soil degradation, and increasing pressure on natural resources. This approach integrates multiple scales, from fundamental ecological processes to landscape management practices.
In this context, CESAM projects such as, for wexample, FoRES, focused on forest resilience to wildfires and climate change; URGENTpine 2.0, dedicated to the study of emerging diseases and more sustainable ways to induce resistance in maritime pine; and FORADVISE, which strengthens cooperation and knowledge transfer in the forest sector, are particularly noteworthy. Together, these initiatives contribute to more resilient and sustainable forest management.
This work is carried out within the Research Cluster RC2 — Soil Functions, Agriculture and Forests, which promotes fundamental and applied research, as well as interdisciplinary innovation on terrestrial ecosystems, sustainable production, and natural resource management. In close collaboration with forest managers, companies, policymakers, and other stakeholders, CESAM contributes to the development of public policies and management strategies based on scientific evidence, aligned with integrated approaches such as the One Health concept.
Inspired by trees, CESAM seeks to contribute to building more resilient forests and more sustainable landscapes. Understanding forests from seed to integrated land management is essential to support systems better adapted to environmental change and to ensure the future of landscapes and the communities that depend on them.
On this World Tree Day and International Day of Forests, the importance of promoting knowledge, cooperation, and informed decision-making as the basis for resilience is reinforced.
News by Glória Pinto, CESAM researcher and professor at the Department of Biology of the University of Aveiro, and Coordinator of Research Cluster 2 — Soil Functions, Agriculture and Forests.
Photograph by Lísia Lopes