Boreal and Temperate Trees in a Changing Climate

Heikki Hänninen was born in Laukaa, Central Finland, in 1957. He studied ecology in Jyväskylä and forest science in Joensuu, where he received his PhD in 1990. He worked in various positions at the University of Joensuu (currently part of the University of Eastern Finland) until his appointment to Professor of Terrestrial Plant Ecology at the University of Helsinki in March 1997. Professor Hänninen’s main research interest is the seasonality and climatic adaptation of northern plants, with the assessment of the effects of the projected climatic change as the principal domain of application in his research work. During his early career he worked with forest trees, but after moving to Helsinki he broadened his scope to cover other plant life forms as well. Throughout his career, the combining of experimental ecophysiology with dynamic modelling has been a leading theme in Professor Hänninen’s research. He is a member of the Editorial Review Board of Tree Physiology.

“He clearly and succinctly distills the body of research in the field of ecophysiology as a way of documenting where research stands now and the direction it might head in the future. … The author reviews evolutionary aspects of ecophysiology and progresses from the individual tree to the effects that are made on whole forests and entire ecosystems. … Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through researchers and faculty.” (M. K. Cleaveland, Choice, Vol. 54 (5), January, 2017)

• 1. Climatic Adaptation of Boreal and Temperate Tree Species.- 2. Dynamic Modelling of the Annual Cycle.- 3. The Annual Phenological Cycle.- 4. The Annual Cycle of Photosynthesis in Evergreen Conifers.- 5. The Annual Cycle of Frost Hardiness.- 6. Evolutionary Aspects of the Annual Cycle.- 7.  Upscaling to Higher Levels of Organisation.- 8. The Annual Cycle Under Changing Climatic Conditions.- 9. Concluding Remarks.