How can forests adapt to climate change while balancing ecological, social, and economic priorities? This symposium, organized by the IUFRO Task Force FORLIVS and the EU project eco2adapt, will showcase forest living labs as innovative spaces where scientists, practitioners, policymakers, and local stakeholders come together to co-create solutions for forest resilience.

Presentations will highlight real-world examples of how participatory approaches can bridge science and practice, integrate diverse perspectives, and foster inclusive decision-making. By bringing together experiences from Europe, Latin America, and beyond, the session will explore the governance, design, and long-term sustainability of living labs, as well as their potential to inform future forest policy and adaptive management frameworks.

About the Conveners

Sophie Ehrhardt is a researcher at the Julius Kühn Institute (Germany), working with Prof. Henrik Hartmann, a multiple-year Highly Cited Researcher. She coordinates the Harz Living Lab and leads stakeholder engagement activities in projects such as eco2adapt. Her research focuses on the collaborative development of participatory methodologies that integrate stakeholder perspectives into forest resilience research, ecological modelling, and adaptive management strategies. By bridging scientific insights with practical knowledge, her work aims to enhance collaborative decision-making and strengthen the link between science and society in the context of climate change.

Claire-Paulette Depardieu is a researcher at Laval University (Canada) specializing in forest ecology and climate adaptation, with a focus on linking ecological processes and management practices to improve forest resilience under changing environmental conditions.

Henrik Hartmann is a senior scientist at the Julius Kühn Institute (Germany) and a multiple-year Highly Cited Researcher. His work centers on forest stress ecology, climate impacts on forest dynamics, and tree mortality, combining long-term experimental studies with modeling approaches to understand forest responses to environmental change.

Philippe Rozenberg is a senior scientist at INRAE (France), leading research on forest genetics, adaptation, and the development of climate-resilient forest management strategies through interdisciplinary collaboration and applied research.

Blas Mola is a researcher at the University of Eastern Finland (Finland) focusing on forest policy, socio-ecological systems, and participatory governance, with particular interest in integrating local stakeholders into forest decision-making processes.