Institute of Forest Ecology
Topic
Temporal and geographical analysis of bark beetle gradations in spruce forests
PhD. program
Forest Ecology
Year of admission
2026
Name of the supervisor
Ing. Pavel Mezei, PhD.
Contact:
Receiving school
Faculty of Forestry, Technical University in Zvolen
Annotation
Over the past decades, forest ecosystems have experienced unprecedented levels of tree mortality, driven primarily by wind disturbances and bark beetle outbreaks. The fate of forest stands depends on the spatial extent of outbreaks and the complex population dynamics of bark beetles, which are increasingly shaped by climatic extremes. To address this challenge, this study will employ a suite of advanced tools, including remote sensing (RS), geographic information systems (GIS), and computer modelling. The main objective is to develop and apply models that simulate bark beetle population dynamics in response to hydro-meteorological and site conditions and tree-health status (vegetation indices derived from RS), with the aim of analyzing the relative importance of local- versus landscape-scale drivers.