Inés Ibáñez

Understanding forest functioning–the array of physiochemical and biological processes that occur within the ecosystem–is essential for assessing and managing the products and services provided by these systems. Tractable, stakeholder-friendly models that simultaneously account for multiple key forest functions (photosynthesis, biomass production, and decomposition) are needed to better address the biological constraints of these systems and inform their management. Our work aims at generating knowledge and estimates of forest ecosystem performance and resilience to environmental change that both advances science and are of use to decision makers.

Research

We are particularly interested in the effects of climate change on the structure of natural communities. Because the study of forests is integral to understanding climate change, in our research we have explored the combinations of factors that tend to place tree species at risk of local extinction, especially the constraints related to species recruitment of new individuals. We have also addressed the identification of sources of potential immigrants for a particular region. Our work has also addressed the resilience of current forest to water and productivity loses.