Golo Stadelmann

Profession: Forest ecologist/forest researcher
Hobbies: Ski tours, hiking, being outdoors in nature
Favourite tree: Rowan berry
Forest moment you'll never forget: There are many. For example, I once sought shelter under a spruce tree in the forest during a heavy thunderstorm. When there's a real storm, it's protection and a threat at the same time.

What originally motivated you to study the mountain forest scientifically?

I grew up in the Mittelland and experienced nature mainly in the forest. However, we also went on many hikes in the mountains and at some point I started "ski touring". The forest plays an important role in the mountains - between the roads and settlements in the valley and the peaks of the mountains. The mountain forest simply fascinated me.

What does a mountain forest researcher do?

In my day-to-day work, I don't focus on the mountain forest. During my studies, I gained my first experience in the Scatlè primeval forest. That was my first contact with forest research. Today we are trying to better understand the demographic processes, i.e. regeneration, growth and mortality, and to predict forest development using the empirical forest model MASSIMO. We use MASSIMO to calculate national wood utilization potentials and the influence of the Swiss forest as a carbon sink.

How is climate change changing the priorities in mountain forest research? Climate change alters disturbance regimes and shifts the areas in which certain tree species can grow well. In order to make reliable predictions about forest development, we need to be able to understand and simulate these processes. As the challenges facing the forest increase, so too do the topics we deal with in research.

Do you remember a formative moment in the Bergwaldprojekt?

In the Bergwaldprojekt, I particularly enjoyed maintaining young forests or, even better, pole wood - I like that more than piling up branch piles. When building, I prefer something constructive like Ogi trestles and then planting new trees. I was most influenced by the realization of how much work is actually needed to bring a protective forest back to where we want it to be after a disturbance.

Has the Bergwaldprojekt influenced your research work?

I didn't realize that I would become a researcher when I first took part in the Bergwaldprojekt. But it strengthened my enthusiasm for the forest ecosystem. After more than 20 weeks in the Bergwaldprojekt, I have seen many facets and this helps me not only to look at the data and theories, but also to have very concrete images in my head. I also think that my time in the forest has given me a better understanding of forestry practitioners and their issues.

If you could make one wish for the mountain forest itself - what would it be?

It's not just the mountain forest, but forests globally and many other ecosystems that are coming under increasing pressure. I wish that we as humans would respect our livelihoods more, that we would really take the biodiversity and climate crisis seriously and make our actions more sustainable.