Consortium Members of TU Dresden

The European Project Center (EPC) is TU Dresden’s central point of contact for researchers who seek competent support at every stage of the lifecycle of a project funded by the European Commission. The EPC’s support services range from identifying an appropriate call, developing the project idea and proposal, managing all strategic, administrative, financial and legal aspects of the project implementation up to the finalisation following the funding period. The EPC is a key player within the central research services of the university and operates at the interface between administration and academia. Scientists from TU Dresden as well as from several of its DRESDEN-concept partner institutions benefit from the expertise and broad experience of the EPC staff. The success of EPC’s activities is reflected in a very high proportion of EU third-party funding at TU Dresden. In addition, the EPC regularly serves as best-practice example in terms of support structures for improving research conditions at German universities. It contributes to fostering international co-operations as well as to the internationalisation of research.

The chair comprises the fields forest policy and the economics of forest resources. We focus on challenging issues relating to the complex interactions between forests and people, employing social science and economic methods. Our forest policy research encompasses national, European and international forest and environmental policy. In the area economics of forest resources we focus on the opportunities and problems posed by cooperation between people in relation to forest use for the mutual benefit of all. Our research contributes to solving important issues of the future: raw material and energy supply, climate protection, strengthening rural areas. To this end, we are working on an economic optimisation of land use and on conflict analysis. We are also continuing to pursue the further development of the science of forest policy and of the economics of forest resources. We prepare expert reports and analyses as a service for our practice partners within the sector.

The research and teaching profile of the chair of Forest Botany focuses not only on fundamental research in the field of forest plants but also on application-oriented questions. The aim of the chair is to make the results of scientific research directly applicable to practice. The working group "Molecular Physiology of woody Plants" tries to connect molecular genetic methods with classical wood anatomical and plant physiological methods in order to gain information about possible reasons for differences in adaptation and adaptability of tree species. The main research is focused on ecophysiology and functional anatomy of plants as well as population genetic questions. In current projects the working group is dealing e.g. with the evaluation and improvement of essential anatomical and physiological parameters for breeding of fast growing trees in agricultural cultivation (FastWOOD III; supported by BMELV), the establishment of molecular markers based on retrotransposons for the identification of varieties, clones and accessions as base for breeding, management of genetic resources and quality control of Poplar and Hybrid larch (TreeSINE; supported by BMELV) as well as the characteristics profile and the range of applications for fast growing plants in the wood processing industry (Wood for Industry; supported by BMEL).

The chair of Wood Technology and Fibre Material Technology, belonging to the Institute of Natural Materials Technology (INT) at TU Dresden, has more than 60 years of experience in processing and refining natural materials. Beside wood and wood fibres other lignocellulosic and residual materials as well as biopolymers are examined and applied. Main focus is the development of materials and the exploitation of new sources of bio based raw materials and residual materials. Bio materials with special properties and new applications as well as novel composite materials are development objectives. At the Chair of Wood Technology and Fibre Material Technology there are modern laboratories for anatomy, physics and chemistry of wood and wood composite materials available. Beside that experimental facilities existing in which nearly the complete process chain for manufacturing of wood and fibre composite materials but also finished wood products can be shown, simulated and analysed in a laboratory scale. Therefore the basic configuration of the Chair of Wood and Fibre Materials includes analysis and testing equipment, machines and equipment for composite manufacturing and woodworking. The chair of Wood Technology and Fibre Material Technology with more than 40 employees is subdivided into four research groups and the working group of paper technology.

The Institute of Soil Science and Site Ecology (TUD-ISSE) is part of the Faculty of Environmental Sciences and member of the Center for Advanced Water Research (CAWR http://www.ufz.de/cawr/). The group of Prof. Feger is experienced in interdisciplinary research on linked land-use, soil, and water resources. Water and nutrient dynamics of both agricultural and forest ecosystems and watersheds have been thoroughly investigated through methods including modelling, monitoring, and model-based assessment. This includes methodology across spatial and temporal scales (assessment of land-use effects on biogeochemical cycling, plant nutrition and fertilization, material fluxes and water amount and quality. At the landscape (catchment/basin) scale, substantial research has been conducted on the testing of land-cover/use scenarios with eco-hydrologic models. TUD-ISSE provides knowledge in the field of plant nutrition and soil hydrology. Information is produced for retrospective/present soil water availability under different conditions which is crucial for growth/yield modelling (WP2). For implementation of a site water model (e.g. COUP or BROOK90) soil and plant data (Dr. G. Kovacs, Dr. B. Heil, Prof. H. Röhle) will be used.

The institute of plant and wood chemistry emerged from the forest school in Tharandt founded by Heinrich Cotta in 1811. Hence, there is a history of more than 200 years. In 1929 the Royal Saxon Academy of Forestry was integrated in the Technical University of Dresden. Today the institute is a part of the department of forest sciences within the faculty of environmental sciences. Investigations on special soil components, the chemical composition of plants and their changes depending on seasons and part of plant, the effect of environmental impacts like heavy metals or flue gasses on the growing of local plants, fertilizing with different substrates, wood protection as well as the possibilities of material utilization were important topics of training and research. The latter starts with production of charcoal. Over the year’s processes for the extraction of planed-based tanning agents and terpenes were developed and new characterisation methods for these substances were used. Since the 1920s investigation in wood pulping and additives for paper were carried out. These are actual topics up to now. In the 1960s research of extracting special products at pulp production like lignin or extractives became more intense. Chemistry of cellulose and its derivatives is a main topic since 1980s.

The Chair of Forest Utilization belongs to the Institute of Forest Utilization and Forest Technology. The scientific focus (teaching and research) covers: (a) anatomical & physical wood properties and wood identification, (b) grading and storage of roundwood and (c) mechanical wood technology and utilization of non-wood forest products. The Chair of Forest Utilization achieved scientific excellence in the following research fields: (1) Wood anatomical research on microscopic and macroscopic level. (2) Research on dendrochronology, dendroecology and the reaction of trees to climate and site. (3) Connection between silviculture and wood quality including roundwood grading. (4) Alternative and new methods for roundwood storage. The scientific equipment of the chair includes a number of technical instruments and machines, for example an environmental scanning electron microscope with an integrated energy dispersive X-ray spectroscope, microtomes, light microscopes, multi-purpose elastic-mechanical testing machines (TIRAtest, Dynstat), tree-ring measuring systems, equipment for the determination of wood density using x-ray including densitometer apparatus (WALESCH DENDRO2003), climate and a drying chamber.