Forests are a critical part of the global carbon cycle. Understanding the dynamics of carbon pools (litter, coarse woody debris) and how these dynamics will be affected by climate change is critical in managing carbon stocks. A powerful approach to illuminate this question is macro-ecological analyses that span climate gradients. We are have set up 48 plots where carbon pools have been assessed in WA, Victoria, NSW, Queensland and Tasmania as part of the Terrestrial Environmental Research Network (TERN).
The PhD project will involve re measuring these plots and interrogating a large dataset to disclose the effect of macroclimate on carbon pool dynamics. This data will be used to project possible effects of climate change on Australian production forests.

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