Silva Nova

Restoring soil biology and soil functions to gain multiple benefits in new forests

We study how inoculation of former arable land with soil (including the microbiome, soil fauna and seeds / rhizomes of ground flora) from old forests along with planting targeted tree species mixtures will improve productivity and more rapidly restore forest-adapted communities and ultimately result in diverse, stable and resilient multifunctional forests.
We perform many of our experiments in controlled conditions in climate chambers and try as much as possible to integrate our results within the natural settings.

Team

Sofia Gomes

Assistant Professor

Martijn Bezemer

Professor

Farzad Aslani

Postdoc

Kostas Georgopoulos

PhD candidate

Annemiek van Dijke

PhD candidate

Naksha Kasal

Research Assistant

Our goals

The objectives of the project are to:

1. Evaluate temporal and spatial responses in biomass production, flora and fauna, soil microbiota and soil functions to afforestation of former cropland in the baseline situation without assisted dispersal.

2. Quantify effects of inoculation methods regarding donor, amount and application mode of inoculum to different soil types and tree species using mesocosm approaches.

3. Expand knowledge of inoculation methods from mesocosm to field-scale implementation.

4. Develop concepts for assessment and planning of afforestation at the landscape scale and provide a decision tool for afforestation strategies including use of assisted dispersal.

Publications

Gomes SIF, Gundersen P, Bezemer TM, Barsotti D, D'Imperio L, Georgopoulos K, Justesen MJ, Rheault K, Rosas YM, Schmidt IK, Tedersoo L, Vesterdal L, Yu M, Anslan S, Aslani F, Byriel DB, Christiansen J, Hansen SH, Kasal N, Kosawang C, Larsen H, Larsen KS, Lees J, van Dijke ACP, Kepfer-Rojas S. (2025), Soil Microbiome Inoculation for Resilient and Multifunctional New Forests in Post-Agricultural Landscapes. Glob Change Biol, 31: e70031. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.70031

Georgopoulos K, Bezemer TM, Christiansen JR, Larsen KS, Moerman G, Vermeulen R, Anslan S, Tedersoo L, Gomes, SIF. 2025. Reduction of forest soil biota impacts tree performance but not greenhouse gas fluxes. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 200: 109643. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2024.109643

Georgopoulos K, Bezemer TM, Neeft L, Camargo AM, Anslan S, Tedersoo L, Gomes SIF. 2024. Effects of soil biotic and abiotic characteristics on tree growth and aboveground herbivory during early afforestation. Applied Soil Ecology, 202: 105579. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105579

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