2022
3rd IFFSC's Seminar released results of the 2nd Cycle
Tuesday, November 29, 2022
On November 23, the 3rd IFFSC's Seminar was held and aimed to share the results of measurements in 303 Sample Plots of the 2nd IFFSC Cycle, carried out between 2014 and 2019.
In the event held at the UDESC Tito Sena Auditorium, five presentations were made:
IFFSC – 15 years of research: retrospective and challenges (Alexander C. Vibrans);
Changes in species richness of forests (André L. de Gasper);
Dynamics of the carbon stock of forests in Santa Catarina (Laio Z. Oliveira);
Dynamics of genetic diversity in tree species of SC (Tiago Montangna);
Access to IFFSC's Data – how to find information in online databases (Débora V. Lingner).
All the presentations are in portuguese
Galeria de imagens. Clique para passar ou retroceder as fotos.
At the end of the seminar, the achievements, challenges and new demands of the IFFSC were discussed in a round table, with the participation of Tiago Mioto (SAR), Luiz Toresan (Epagri), Odelir Battistella (FIESC) and Adelar Mantovani (UDESC) and the speakers.
The event was also broadcast live and the lectures are available to watch on our YouTube channel.
A new measurement phase began (2022-2027)
Friday, September 09, 2022
On August 29, the new IFFSC team met for the first time to plan the actions of the new phase that will be held between 2022 and 2027. This is the 3rd Cycle of measurements of 220 sample plots installed in all the regions of Santa Catarina.
Fieldwork began on September 6th and lasts until May 2023.
Among the objectives of the latest agreement between the Secretariat for Sustainable Economic Development (SDE) and FURB are the following:
strengthening of the dialogue and cooperation with state bodies, such as SDE, IMA, PMA, SAR, Epagri, MPE, CONSEMA, FIESC, aiming at the effective application of data and information generated by the IFFSC
continuation of forest monitoring in Santa Catarina, especially between 2017 and 2022
presentation of results of the 2nd Cycle of measurements carried out between 2014 and 2019
generation of subsidies for the sustainable use of forests through products such as production tables, thinning and assortments, and silvicultural and management recommendations for secondary forest species for timber and non-timber use.
IFFSC presents unprecedented turnover estimates for Santa Catarina’s forests
Monday, April 18, 2022
The study published in the journal Forest Ecology and Management is the result of 15 years of data collection and analysis by IFFSC teams. We consider the results obtained a key piece to understand the dynamics of forests in our state, since they quantify the ingrowth of young individuals, increment and mortality of adult trees in Santa Catarina’s forests. For the first time in subtropical forests and especially in the neotropical region, an investigation of this nature is carried out, covering an area of about 95,000 km², systematically sampled by a large number (303) of plots located at the intersections of a 10 x 10 km grid. Thus, the collected data permit to compute reliable and representative estimates of changes in forest attributes such as density (number of trees per ha), basal area and aboveground biomass (AGB) of the three forest typologies of Santa Catarina, the Evergreen Rainforest, the Araucaria Forest and the Semi-deciduous Forest. The estimated mean net AGB changes (ingrowth + survivor growth - mortality) range from 4.9 to 8.1 Mg (or tons) per hectare over a standardized 5-year period. The AGB stocks of the inventoried forests represent, on average, one third of the stocks of mature forests in the region. This means that the carbon sequestration potential of these forests is still far from being exhausted and that Santa Catarina's forests represent an important carbon sink.
Study answers a fundamental question of ecology: How many tree species are there in the world?
Wednesday, February 23, 2022
IFFSC's data made up a global study of great ecological relevance, which was published in the Annals of the American Academy of Sciences (PNAS) (https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2115329119) and is the result of three years of investigation by a group of researchers organized in the GFBI (Global Forest Biodiversity Initiative).
The study revealed that there are 73,000 tree species on Earth, and of these, 9,000 species have not yet been discovered or described by science. Among these 9,000 species, it is likely that a third of them are very rare species, with very small populations and present in very restricted areas. This finding highlights the vulnerability of global forest biodiversity to changes in land use and climate. According to estimates, South America is home to 43% of the total 73,000 species, Eurasia 22%, Africa 16%, North America 15% and Oceania 11%.
To carry out the study, data on the occurrence and abundance of 4.4 million trees (individuals) were used, recorded in about 105,000 plots located in forests, natural grasslands, savannas and areas with shrubby vegetation from all continents and climatic zones. (of which 450 plots from the Santa Catarina Forest Floristic Inventory, IFFSC). Furthermore, the occurrence data of species contained in the TreeChange database were included in the calculation of the estimates of the “missing” trees (not yet known).
The calculation of the estimates is based on a classic method of Forest Ecology, which is based on the number of extremely rare species, represented in the sample by only one or two individuals, in addition to the number of rare species that occur in only one or two localities. (even with several individuals) and their relative proportion to the most common or even “hyperdominant” species (very frequent in a given forest typology).
The modeling that led to the estimation of the total number of species was carried out separately in 9,353 cells of 100 x 100 km covering all continents and climatic zones.
Complex statistical calculations were performed involving Artificial Intelligence techniques and the use of a supercomputer at Purdue University (USA).