Departmental Description – what we do

The Department is composed of five sections, The Department of Plant Ecophysiology, The Department of Botany, The Department of Dendrology, The Department of Forest Typology, Geobiocoenology and Ecology, and The Department of Tropics

Forest ecosystems
  • Geobiocoenology
  • Forest typology
  • Species and spatial structure
  • Dynamics of forest ecosystem development
Coppice and mixed-age forest
  • Ecosystem functions
  • Allometric functions for stumpage biomass prediction
  • Influence of coppice forest on the functioning and dynamics of forests in temperate and tropical/subtropical regions
Ecological networks in the landscape
  • Territorial System of Ecological Stability (TSES)
  • Management of biocentres
  • Management of biocorridors
  • Protective forest belts
  • Riparian vegetation
Biodiversity
  • Assessment of biodiversity status
  • Biodiversity enhancement
  • Predicting biodiversity status
Climate change
  • Vegetation resilience to climate change
  • Effect of drought on forest stands
  • Effect of prolonged flooding on forest stands
Ecophysiology
  • Water regime of woody plants
  • Detailed study of the transpiration stream profile
  • Determination of stand water-balance components
  • Study of root systems
  • Response of woody plants to condition changes
Dendrology
  • Ecology of native and introduced tree species
  • Taxonomy
  • Chorology
  • Biodiversity
  • Bioindication
  • Preservation of endangered native tree species – GEOFUND
  • Establishment of a complete collection of native tree species at the Křtiny Arboretum
Plant systematics
  • Evolutionary relationships within the genera Carex, Gymnocalycium, Chamaecytisus and Salix
  • Morphological and genetic study of native species of the genus Betula and the species Prunus mahaleb
Tropical Forestry and Agroforestry
  • Application of a geobiocoenological approach in the tropics and subtropics (Socotra, Borneo, Vietnam, Ethiopia)
  • Effects of fire on woody vegetation (Argentina, Chile)
  • Implementation of silvopastoral practices in the Southern Province of Zambia
  • Introduction of integrated agriculture in the Western Province of Zambia
  • Restoration of degraded land in Ethiopia
  • Recultivation of the Cheleleka wetlands in Ethiopia
  • Introduction and innovation of fruit processing in Ethiopia
  • Protection and restoration of endangered dragon trees and frankincense trees on Socotra Island

Background – where we work

  • Building B on the University Campus – houses the main facilities for teaching and research. The Department has two lecture halls on the 5th floor, while the Department’s offices are located on the 5th and 6th floors. Bayer’s lecture hall (room B43) is equipped with microscopes, while Zlatník’s lecture hall (room B45) is equipped for dendrology and geobiocoenology lectures. The corridor of the 5th floor is decorated with a collection of wood samples, cones, fruits and seeds and samples of herbarium trees for individual study by students. There is also a collection of tropical and subtropical utility plants. The 6th floor holds the largest herbarium collection of willow species in the Czech Republic.
  • The Tree Ecophysiology Laboratory is located on the 6th floor and is equipped with all instruments needed for macromolecular and genetic analyses and tree ecophysiology.
  • HHacker’s tree nursery, which is situated near the Křtiny Arboretum, was formerly used to produce seedlings for the arboretum but is now used for ecophysiological research.
  • Křtiny, Řícmanice and Habrůvka arboreta

Cooperation – we are not alone

  • The Department actively cooperates with Czech and international universities, research institutes, nature conservation organisations and commercial entities, with recognised experts from commercial practice or universities regularly invited as guest lecturers.
  • Each year, under the framework of development cooperation, the Department implements cooperative teaching projects with universities in Yemen (Socotra), Cambodia, Ethiopia, Zambia and Ukraine. The Department also leads, or participates in, research and development projects in temperate and tropical/subtropical regions, focusing mainly on climate change, reforestation, recultivation of degraded areas and agroforestry. Students can participate in these projects as part of their practical training or while working on their final thesis.
List of national partners 
  • Biosférická rezervace Dolní Morava
  • Czech Globe – Ústav výzkumu globální změny, Akademie věd ČR, v.v.i.
  • EMS Brno
  • LIKO-S, a.s.
  • Nadace Partnerství
  • VUOS a.s. – Výzkumný ústav organických syntéz a.s.
List of research institutions
  • Jihočeská univerzita v Českých Budějovicích
  • Masarykova univerzita
  • Univerzita Karlova
  • Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci
List of foreign partners
Europe

Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznaň, Poland

Ghent University, Belgium

Imperial College London, UK

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, UK

Sapienza University, Roma, Italy

Sumy National Agrarian University, Sumy, Ukraine

The Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO)

The Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU)

The University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria

University of Freiburg, Germany

University of Innsbruck, Austria

University of Oxford, UK

University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland

University of Torino, Italy

University of Udine, Italy

University of Zurich, Switzerland

Wageningen University, Netherlands

USA

Michigan State University, USA

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama+USA

The Morton Arboretum, Illinois, USA

Utah State University + Western Aspen Aliance

South and Latin America

Asociación Centro Científico Tropical, Costa Rica

Cluster Forestal Ucayali CFU, Peru

National Technical University, Costa Rica

Universidad del Azuay, Ekvádor

Universidad Nacional Agraria de la Selva, Tingo Maria, Peru.

Universidad Nacional de Colombia

Universidad Nacional de Ucayali, Peru

Universidad National de Agrária, Managua, Nicaragua

Asia

Guimaras State University, Philippines

Helping Hand for Guimaras, Philippines

Mongolian University of Life Science

Royal University of Agriculture, Cambodia

Socotra Community College, Hadibo, Yemen

Sultan Qabous University, Moscat, Oman

University of the Philippines Los Baños, Philippines

Visayas State University, Philippines

Weizmann Institute of Science, Rechovot, Israel

Africa

Arba Minch University, Ethiopia

Hawassa University, Ethiopia

Mekelle University, Ethiopia

The Copperbelt University, Zambia

University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia

Departmental Employees – who we are

The Department’s staff are a diverse team of dedicated experts and experienced teachers grouped into specialised sections focusing on plant ecophysiology, botany, dendrology, forest typology, geobiocoenology and ecology, as well as agroforestry of the tropics and subtropics.

DFBDG FFWT, Zemědělská 3, 61300 Brno (Černá Pole)
Office: B5.48
Department of Forest Botany, Dendrology and Geobiocoenology
Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology
Zemědělská 3, 613 00 Brno
List of employees

Department of Forest Botany, Dendrology and Geobiocoenology

Staff