Line Nybakken stands by a tall fir in a forest in Surnadal municipality in Nordmøre. Right in front of her, a small aluminum tube hangs in the rough bark. The pipe is filled with the tree’s innermost secrets, and soon she will know everything. – When we tap this, we will find out everything the tree has done and how it has experienced its surroundings, says Nybakken and attaches a wire between the tube and a PC. Measuring thousandths of a millimeter Line Nybakken is professor of forestry at the Norwegian University of Environmental and Life Sciences (NMBU) in Ås. Together with colleagues, she will measure the thickness of trees down to an accuracy of one thousandth of a millimetre. And it happens every ten minutes. Line Nybakken is professor of forestry at NMBU. Photo: Eirik Haukenes / news This is how they can find out more about the inner life of the tree. When it thrives best and how it reacts to stressful situations such as drought. The measurements are so precise and frequent that the method has already revealed that trees grow at night. – The purpose of this is to learn how the large trees react to their surroundings. In this way, we can gain knowledge that helps us predict the consequences climate change will have for forests in Norway, says Nybakken. Drought stresses trees In 2018, Norwegian forests experienced a long dry period. Trees, such as the tall spruce with the aluminum pipe in Surnadal, are used to having good access to water. When it changes, the tree becomes stressed. PHOTO: Eirik Haukenes / news A stressed tree is less resistant to threats such as harmful fungi and insects. Researchers believe that trees are still struggling to defend themselves against such attacks many years after the drought stress of 2018. – These trees are adaptable. But there are limits to what they can do. Where those boundaries go, we do not know today. But we hope this research can help give us some answers. Need to know more Norway exported forest and wood products worth just over NOK 12 billion last year. For the industry, uncertainty surrounding climate change is a major problem. Alf Bjarte With Aasgård is a forest owner and leader of the Surnadal Forest Owners Association. Photo: Eirik Haukenes / news – We just have to try to create a platform where we can gain access to as much knowledge as possible. That’s what Alf Bjarte With Aasgård says. He is the leader of the Surnadal Forest Owners’ Association, which this week brought together the forestry industry and forest stakeholders in Central Norway. Through the newly established Yggdrasil meeting, they hope to be able to create an arena where together they can look into the glass ball and get ready for the changes they believe are coming. – The turnout has been very large. We have already moved the event to a larger hall to accommodate everyone, says Aasgård.
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Measures the trunk every ten minutes to find climate response
