The Department of Forest Ecology at Mendel University in Brno offers expertise at the interface of forest ecology, silviculture and biodiversity conservation, with particular strengths in arthropod ecology, functional ecology and ecosystem functioning. We are interested in collaborative research on how closer-to-nature forestry under bark-beetle disturbance shapes forest biodiversity, trophic interactions, forest structure, microclimate, carbon storage and forest productivity. We can provide established field sites in the Czech Republic, long-term experimental knowledge and expertise in biodiversity and ecosystem assessment, while contributing to a common research framework adaptable to the forest types and management conditions represented by participating countries.

Our expertise includes arthropod monitoring, spider and trait-based ecology, predator–prey interactions, carbon storage and forest productivity, as well as linking biodiversity responses to forest structural complexity and microclimatic conditions. Our Czech field sites represent contrasting post-disturbance forest development pathways under closer-to-nature forestry, providing a basis for assessing how alternative management and regeneration approaches affect biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. We also have long-term experience with silvicultural experiments, including clear-cutting, canopy thinning and selective logging.

A further strength is our extensive experience in using arthropods as indicators of forest habitat conditions and conservation outcomes, supporting the integration of biodiversity objectives with production and other ecosystem functions within multifunctional forest management. We maintain long-standing cooperation with forest-sector companies, forest owners and managers, public authorities and other stakeholders, enabling operational-scale research, co-creation and the transfer of research results into forest-management practice.

The Department of Forest Ecology at Mendel University in Brno is a research and teaching unit within the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, combining a strong forestry background with expertise in forest ecology, biodiversity conservation and sustainable forest management. The department focuses on ecological processes in managed and disturbed forests, with research spanning forest biodiversity, arthropod communities, functional ecology, trophic interactions, forest dynamics and responses to environmental and management gradients.

Our research combines field-based biodiversity assessment, long-term ecological monitoring, experimental silvicultural research, functional-trait approaches and quantitative analyses. This combination allows us to examine forest management from both the perspective of forest development and productivity and from the perspective of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.