The Forest Sciences Centre of Catalonia (CTFC), based in Solsona (Lleida, Spain), was created in 1996 in the form of a public consortium jointly run by Solsonès County Council, the University of Lleida, Lleida Provincial Council, the Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation, the Integrated Rural Development Centre of Catalonia and the Government of Catalonia. Its dynamics has been characterised by growth meaning that nowadays the institution has more than a hundred professionals on its staff, including scientists, technicians, students on work placements and administrative staff, and it enjoys the support of administrations, institutions and companies that help with its day-to-day work. CTFC activity is articulated around three strongly linked working plans: (1) operation of agroforestry ecosystems, (2) governance and socio-economics in the rural environment and (3) multifunctional environmental management. The CTFC’s activity is not merely restricted to competitive research but also includes technology and knowledge transfer and training, representing a considerable fraction of the applications developed by the institute. Technology transfer in the form of agreements with the private sector and public administrations is complemented with the organisation of seminars for the general public and agents from the sector (managers, owners, experts, the administration, scientists, etc.) at national and international level, contributing to the transfer of this knowledge and the generation of debate. In the training sphere, the CTFC’s activity embraces everything from basic training for workers to life-long learning and specialised education in the form of post-graduate studies and masters degrees.
| Researcher | Main research topic | Researcher | Main research topic | |
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Lluís Brotons Biodiversity, spatial ecology, landscape modelling and project coordination |
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Lluís Coll Forest ecology, disturbance dynamics, adaptive management |
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José Antonio Bonet Mycosilviculture, fungal productivity and diversity |
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José Ramón González Forest managment and planning, forest disturbances, forest inventory |
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Pere Rovira Soil science, forest soils, soil organic matter, soil fertility, land use, carbon cycle, carbon sequestration |
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Pere Casals Plant and soil relationships; plant ecology; C and N dynamics; understory prescribed fires; shrub ecosystems management |
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Miquel de Cáceres Landscape simulation modelling, plant beta diversity |
