WIND-SWEEP

Coordinating institution : INRAE
Partner institutions : Centrale Méditerranée | European Institute of Planted Forests | Catholic University of Louvain
Project leader : Jana Dlouha (INRAE)
Project duration : 48 months | 25 September 2025 → 24 September 2029

The WIND-SWEEPR project, supported under the PEPR FORESTT programme, addresses a major challenge for the future of European forests: the impact of wind on the stability, growth, and management of forest stands.

Today, more than 40% of woody biomass losses in Europe are caused by wind, a phenomenon whose effects are expected to intensify with climate change. At the same time, canopy openings - often resulting from storms or silvicultural practices - have increased significantly since the early 21st century, making forest stands more vulnerable and growth predictions more uncertain.

However, wind is not only a threat : it also plays an active role in tree development. Through the micro-movements it induces, wind triggers a biological process known as thigmomorphogenesis, which alters growth allocation and the mechanical properties of wood. This phenomenon, still rarely integrated into forest models, has recently shown marked effects in three key species : sessile oak, European beech, and maritime pine, with an average 50% increase in radial growth at 1.30 m above ground in wind-exposed trees.

The ambition of WIND-SWEEPR is therefore to better integrate this mechanical response of trees into forest growth models by combining biology, mechanical modelling, and ecology. The project is structured around five main objectives :

• Assess the genetic diversity of wind sensitivity and trees’ capacity to adapt to it.
• Establish long-term monitoring of deformations and their impact on growth, in relation to thinning practices.
• Develop a model linking wind to the deformations perceived by trees.
• Design a biomass allocation model that incorporates the mechanical effects of wind.
• Integrate these advances into a forest growth model to simulate wind-related risks and test innovative silvicultural scenarios.

By combining ecological and mechanical approaches, WIND-SWEEP aims to improve forest resilience to climatic hazards while optimising stand management. This innovative project will provide valuable tools to anticipate wind effects, adapt forestry practices, and better understand the dynamics of tomorrow’s forests.