Dr. Alessandra Bottero

Fonction

collaboratrice scientifique

Dynamique forestière

Écologie des écosystèmes

Environnement alpin et dangers naturels

Ecosystèmes de montagne

Contact

alessandra.bottero(at)wslto make life hard for spam bots.ch

+41 81 417 02 13+41 81 417 02 13

Institut fédéral pour l'étude de la neige et des avalanches SLF
Flüelastrasse 11
7260 Davos Dorf

Site

Davos Da C 1 54

I am Research Scientist in the Mountain Ecosystems research group at the Climate Change, Extremes, and Natural Hazards in Alpine Regions Research Centre CERC. The CERC is part of the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF in Davos, Switzerland.

As a forest ecologist, I am interested in the influence and interaction of climate change, disturbances, and management on forest ecosystems. My research benefits from different types of data, based on a data fusion approach, and from the combination of different methods.

Strongly influenced by my professional activities as a forester, I value much the engagement and interaction with local stakeholders and practitioners, as well as the communication to and with the public.

Personal website https://bottero.ch/

Research interests

Impact of climate change and natural disturbances on mountain forest ecosystems, protective forests, ecosystem services, forest management, silviculture, forest adaptation strategies, dendroecology.

Education and academic career

09.2021-present	Research Scientist. Alpine Environment and Natural Hazards Research Unit / Mountain Ecosystems Research Group, SLF, Davos, Switzerland.
01.2020-08.2021	Research Associate. Forest Dynamics Research Unit / Ecosystem Ecology Research Group, WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
01.2017-12.2019	Postdoc. Forest Dynamics Research Unit / Ecosystem Ecology Research Group, WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
04.2016-12.2016	Visiting Scientist. Forest Dynamics Research Unit, WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
03.2014-12.2015	Research Associate - NE CSC Postdoctoral Fellow. Department of Forest Resources (University of Minnesota); United States Forest Service (USFS) Northern Research Station, USA; NE Climate Science Center – US Department of the Interior.
09-10.2013	Visiting Scientist, COST Action ES1203. Chair of Forest Ecology, ETH, Zürich, Switzerland.
03.2013-02.2014	Research Fellow. DISAFA, University of Torino, Grugliasco (TO), Italy.
04-11.2011, 09-10.2012	Visiting Scholar. University of Colorado, Boulder (CO), USA.
01.2010-02.2013	Ph.D. in Forest Management and Silviculture (University of Torino, Italy) “Interactions and ecological feedbacks between natural and anthropogenic disturbances in mountain forests in the European Alps”. Supervisor: Prof. Renzo Motta, Univ. of Torino, IT; Co-Supervisor: Prof. Thomas T. Veblen, Univ. of Colorado, USA.

See my CV here.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Projects

TradeES

To better inform forest practitioners, the TradeES project examines trade-offs among drought impact on forest growth, ecological functions and ecosystem services in thinned and unthinned Norway spruce-dominated stands in Switzerland.

MountEx

The MountEx project, part of the WSL research program Extremes, aims to develop guidance and tools for managing spruce-dominated mountain forests under the influence of previously unthinkable, extreme disturbances.

Partitioning of resources between beech trees during drought

We will examine whether recent drought events shifted the partitioning of growth among tree size classes of beech trees and use this information to develop thinning strategies for mitigating drought impacts in lowland and montane Swiss beech forests

Climate-smart forestry directions based on national Forest Inventory data

In this project we use the data of the Swiss National Forest Inventory to develop an assessment system that accounts for the three aspects of climate-smart forestry: mitigation, adaptation and the sustainable provision of forest ecosystem services.

Acclimation and environmental memory

Which are the main mechanisms conveying adaptation on the organ and whole tree level, how fast does acclimation occur and how long is an acclimation potential sustained?

Tout afficher

Publications

Publications WSL

Peer-reviewed

Castagneri, D.; Vacchiano, G.; Hacket-Pain, A.; DeRose, R.J.; Klein, T.; Bottero, A., 2022: Meta-analysis reveals different competition effects on tree growth resistance and resilience to drought. Ecosystems, 25: 30-43. doi: 10.1007/s10021-021-00638-4

Bottero, A.; Meloni, F.; Garbarino, M.; Motta, R., 2022: Temperate coppice forests in north-western Italy are resilient to wild ungulate browsing in the short to medium term. Forest Ecology and Management, 523: 120484 (10 pp.). doi: 10.1016/j.foreco.2022.120484

Bose, A.K.; Rohner, B.; Bottero, A.; Ferretti, M.; Forrester, D.I., 2021: Did the 2018 megadrought change the partitioning of growth between tree sizes and species? A Swiss case-study. Plant Biology, doi: 10.1111/plb.13380

Bottero, A.; Forrester, D.I.; Cailleret, M.; Kohnle, U.; Gessler, A.; Michel, D.; Bose, A.K.; Bauhus, J.; Bugmann, H.; Cuntz, M.; Gillerot, L.; Hanewinkel, M.; Lévesque, M.; Ryder, J.; Sainte‐Marie, J.; Schwarz, J.; Yousefpour, R.; Zamora‐Pereira, J.C.; Rigling, A., 2021: Growth resistance and resilience of mixed silver fir and Norway spruce forests in central Europe: contrasting responses to mild and severe droughts. Global Change Biology, 27, 18: 4403-4419. doi: 10.1111/gcb.15737

Santopuoli, G.; Temperli, C.; Alberdi, I.; Barbeito, I.; Bosela, M.; Bottero, A.; Klopčič, M.; Lesinski, J.; Panzacchi, P.; Tognetti, R., 2021: Pan-European sustainable forest management indicators for assessing climate-smart forestry in Europe. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 51, 12: 1741-1750. doi: 10.1139/cjfr-2020-0166

Tout afficher

Further scientific publications

Temperli, C.; Santopuoli, G.; Bottero, A.; Barbeito, I.; Alberdi, I.; Condés, S.; Gschwantner, T.; Bosela, M.; Neroj, B.; Fischer, C.; Klopčič, M.; Lesiński, J.; Sroga, R.; Tognetti, R., 2022: National Forest Inventory data to evaluate Climate-Smart Forestry. In: Tognetti, R.; Smith, M.; Panzacchi, P. (eds), 2022: Climate-Smart Forestry in mountain regions. Cham, Switzerland, Springer. 107-139. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-80767-2_4

Caffo, L.; Dotta, A.; Bottero, A., 2020: Val di Susa - management of multifunctional forests in the heart of the western Italian Alps. In: Krumm, F.; Schuck, A.; Rigling, A. (eds), 2020: How to balance forestry and biodiversity conservation. A view across Europe. Birmensdorf, European Forest Institute (EFI); Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL). 453-463.

Tout afficher

Magazine article and brochures

Tout afficher

Additional publications

Peer-reviewed

_{Gleason, K.E.; Bradford, J.B.; Bottero, A.; D’Amato, A.W.; Fraver, S.; Palik, B.J.; Battaglia, M.A.; Iverson, L.; Kenefic, L.; Kern, C.C., 2017: Competition amplifies drought stress in forests across broad climatic and compositional gradients. Ecosphere 8(7): 1-16. doi: 10.1002/ecs2.1849}

_{Bottero, A.; D'Amato, A.W.; Palik, B.J.; Bradford, J.B.; Fraver, S.; Battaglia, M.A.; Asherin, L.A., 2017: Density-dependent vulnerability of forest ecosystems to drought. Journal of Applied Ecology 54(6): 1605-1614. doi: 10.1111/1365-2664.12847}

_{Bottero, A.; D'Amato, A.W.; Palik, B.J.; Kern, C.C.; Bradford, J.B.; Scherer, S.S, 2017: Influence of repeated prescribed fire on tree growth and mortality in Pinus resinosa forests, Northern Minnesota. Forest Science 63(1): 94-100. doi: 10.5849/forsci.16-035}

_{Castagneri, D.; Bottero, A.; Motta, R.; Vacchiano, G., 2015: Repeated spring precipitation shortage alters individual growth patterns in Scots pine forests in the Western Alps. Trees 29(6): 1699-1712. doi: 10.1007/s00468-015-1250-z}

_{Bottero, A.; Garbarino, M.; Long, J.N.; Motta, R., 2013: The interacting ecological effects of large-scale disturbances and salvage logging on montane spruce forest regeneration in the western European Alps. Forest Ecology and Management 292: 18-28. doi: 10.1016/j.foreco.2012.12.021}

_{Garbarino, M.; Lingua, E.; Weisberg, P.J.; Bottero, A.; Meloni, F.; Motta, R., 2013: Land-use history and topographic gradients as driving factors of subalpine Larix decidua forests. Landscape Ecology 28(5): 805-817. doi: 10.1007/s10980-012-9792-6}

_{Bottero, A.; Garbarino, M.; Dukić, V.; Govedar, Z.; Lingua, E.; Nagel, T.A.; Motta, R., 2011: Gap-phase dynamics in the old-growth forest of Lom, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Silva Fennica 45(5): 875-887. doi: 10.14214/sf.76}

Others

_{Vacchiano, G.; Bottero, A.; Castagneri, D.; Chiavetta, U.; Matteucci, G.; Ripullone, F.; Pollastrini, M., 2020: La sete del bosco. Come le foreste reagiscono alla siccità e come aiutarle. Articolo LifeGate Ambiente – Biodiversità. Language: Italian. www.lifegate.it/sete-del-bosco-foreste-siccita}

_{Berretti, R.; Bottero, A.; Bruno, E.; Della Beffa, G.; Freppaz, M.; Giordano, L.; Gonthier, P.; Gottero, F.; Mosca, A.; Motta, R.; Nicolotti, G.; Vacchiano, G.; Viglietti, D.; Wermelinger, B., 2011: Foreste di protezione diretta: disturbi naturali e stabilità nelle Alpi occidentali. Arezzo: Compagnia delle Foreste, s.r.l., pp. 1-144, ISBN: 9788890122385. Language: Italian.}

_{Bovio, G.; Ascoli, D.; Bottero, A.; Valsecchi, C., 2011: Sintesi delle ricerche sugli incendi boschivi in faggeta dell’estate 2003, in: Piano regionale per la programmazione delle attività di previsione, prevenzione e lotta attiva contro gli incendi boschivi 2011-2014. Regione Piemonte, pp. 163-168. Language: Italian.}

_{Bovio, G.; Ascoli, D.; Valsecchi, C.; Bottero, A., 2011: Indagine sulle caratteristiche degli incendi boschivi e sulle dinamiche di risposta degli ecosistemi forestali. Gestione post-incendio in popolamenti di Fagus sylvatica L. del Piemonte. Language: Italian.}

Network

Network of active collaborations (alphabetical list by country name):

Austria: University of Innsbruck.
Bulgaria: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences; University of Forestry.
Czech Republic: Czech University of Life Sciences Prague.
Finland: Natural Resources Institute Finland; University of Helsinki.
France:INRAe; UMR RECOVER, Aix Marseille University, IRSTEA.
Germany: Forest Research Institute Baden-Württemberg FVA; University of Freiburg; Technical University of Munich; University of Mainz.
Israel: Weizmann institute of Science.
Italy: Eurac research Bolzano; Polytechnic University of Marche; University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli"; University of Milano; University of Molise; University of Padova; University of Pavia; University of Reggio Calabria; University of Torino.
Slovakia: Technical University in Zvolen.
Slovenia: Slovenian Forestry Institute; University of Ljubljana.
Spain: Spanish National Research Council; University Pablo de Olavide.
Sweden: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
Switzerland:Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne EPFL; ETH Zurich; Swiss Federal Institute for Forest Snow and Landscape Research WSL; WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF; Climate Change, Extremes, and Natural Hazards in Alpine Regions Research Centre CERC.
UK: University of Cambridge; University of the Highlands and Islands; University of Liverpool.
USA: Iowa State University; University of Arizona; University of Maine; University of North Carolina; University of Vermont; USDA FS NRS; USGS Southwest Biological Science Center; Utah State University; University of Alaska Anchorage.

Boards, Editorial & Review activity

Boards and Committees

08.2022 - present: Member of the Verbund Waldbau Schweiz.

02.2022 - present: Co-representative of the Swiss eLTER team at the Mountain Research Initiative (MRI), together with Esther R. Frei.

Editorial and Review activity

05.2021 – present: Associate Editor of the Canadian Journal of Forest Research.

06.2018 – present: Review Editor for Forest Growth / Frontiers in Forests and Global Change.

Reviewer for scientific journals: Acta Oecologica; Agricultural and Forest Meteorology; Annals of Forest Science; Current Forestry Reports; Ecological Applications; Ecology; European Journal of Forest Research; Fire Ecology; Forest Ecology and Management; Forest Science; Global Change Biology; iForest; Journal of Ecology; PLOS ONE; Trees.

Reviewer for scientific institutions: Laboratory of Excellence ARBRE – INRAe Nancy (France); Future of UK Treescapes programme – Natural Environment Research Council, Arts & Humanities Council, Economic & Social Research council, Defra, Welsh Government and Scottish Government (UK).

SciComm & Outreach

Science Communication, Outreach and Media Coverage

English

Using silviculture to prepare managed Norway spruce and silver fir forests for drought. News WSL (08.2021)

German / Deutsch

Das SLF war Aussteller auf der Davoser Messe. Der Stand des SLF stiess bei jüngeren und älteren Besucherinnen und Besuchern auf reges Interesse, mit Entnahme von Bohrkernen aus Bäumen, Quiz, Drohnen und mehr. «Davoser Mäss@Promenade» (09.10.2021)

Wie man Wälder auf zunehmende Dürreperioden vorbereiten kann. WDR 5 Quarks – Wissenschaft und mehr (22.09.2021 mit Alessandra Bottero)

Trockenheit im Wald. SRF Wissenschaftsmagazin (Meldungen vom 21.08.2021, ab Min. 9:50)

3 Rezepte für den Wald der Zukunft: Ausdünnen, andere Bäume wählen und sie klein halten. BauernZeitung (18.08.2021)

Hohe Bäume reagieren empfindlicher darauf wenn das Wasser knapp wird. Radio SRF Nachrichten (15 Uhr vom 17.08.2021, Min. 2:02)

Grosse Bäume reagieren besonders empfindlich auf schwere Dürren. News Swissinfo (08.2021)

Tanne zäher gegenüber Dürre als die Fichte. News Blick online (08.2021)

Grosse Bäume reagieren besonders empfindlich auf Dürren. News Tierwelt online (08.2021)

Tanne zäher gegenüber Dürre als die Fichte. News Uzwil24 (08.2021)

Fichten- und Tannenwirtschaftswälder durch den Waldbau auf Trockenheit vorbereiten. News WSL (08.2021)

Italian / Italiano

Il bosco che sta male. RSI News (intervista del 18.07.2022 con Alessandra Bottero)

Castagneri D., A. Bottero e G. Vacchiano. Resilienza alla siccità e diradamenti. Pillole di Scienze Forestali SISEF (03.2022)

Lo stato di salute delle foreste svizzere. Telegiornale RSI (intervista del 29.10.2021 con Alessandra Bottero)

Resistere allo “stress da siccità”. Radiogiornale RSI (intervista del 18.08.2021 con Alessandra Bottero)

Preparare alla siccità le foreste coltivate di abete rosso e bianco attraverso la selvicoltura. News WSL (08.2021)

Vacchiano G., A. Bottero, D. Castagneri, U. Chiavetta, G. Matteucci, F. Ripullone e M. Pollastrini. La sete del bosco. Come le foreste reagiscono alla siccità e come aiutarle. Articolo LifeGate Ambiente – Biodiversità (08.2020)

French / Français

La sylviculture permet de préparer les forêts à la sécheresse, selon une étude suisse. RTS online (08.2021)

La sylviculture à l’aide des forêts d’épicéas et de sapins. Le Journal horaire (17.08.2021 à 15:00, min. 2:38)

Comment préparer les forêts à la sécheresse. News Le Nouvelliste (08.2021)

La sylviculture pour contrer la sécheresse. News La Liberté (08.2021)

Comment préparer les forêts à la sécheresse. News Arcinfo (08.2021)

Préparer les forêts d’épicéas et de sapins à la sécheresse grâce à la sylviculture. News WSL (08.2021)

Opportunities for Students

Looking for a Topic for a Bachelor / Master's thesis? Here is a list with opportunities currently available.

Early detection and management of bark beetle infestations in the canton of Grisons, Switzerland (Summer 2023, Master thesis)

Following the dry and warm years of the last decades large parts of European forest landscapes have been severely affected by outbreaks of the European spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus L.). Norway spruce is under increasing pressure from this insect, and the protection against natural hazards as well as the provision of other ecosystem services are increasingly threatened in several forest ecosystems in the Alps. Early detection of vulnerable and already infested trees is key to planning and implementing successful control measures.

A project has been initiated to improve the early detection of bark beetle attacks and to systematically process and analyse the occurrence and spread of beetle damage in the canton of Grisons, Switzerland.

Within this project we offer the opportunity to conduct master theses.

Potential topics:

Effect of forest structure, past management, and drought on bark beetle attacks.
Radial growth patterns of infested Norway spruce trees preceding bark beetle infestation.
Forest tree regeneration dynamics following bark beetle attacks and different management interventions.

Potential methods: field observations, dendrochronology, ecophysiology, spatial analysis (GIS), statistical analysis.

Interested students are ideally familiar with the ecological processes in mountain forests and have an interest in practice-oriented work. They should also be familiar with field work, planning, collection and (statistical) evaluation of vegetation data as well as the collection and evaluation of topographic data.

Language: English or German.

Period: late Spring/Summer 2023 (with fieldwork ideally in June-August); office work and preparation can start earlier.

For questions and further information please contact Alessandra Bottero (alessandra.bottero@wsl.ch).

Thinning and impact of drought in mountain forests: what are the trade-offs with forest ecosystem services? (Summer 2023, Master thesis)

The recent drought-triggered tree mortality events observed around the globe put emphasis on the need for forest management options that mitigate drought effects. Thinning is often recommended to minimize drought impacts on forests. However, thinning options need to be developed while considering not only drought mitigation, or wood production, but also biodiversity and other ecosystem services such as protection from avalanches and rockfall, which are often not considered by studies on this topic.

To better inform forest practitioners, the TradeES project has been initiated to examine trade-offs among drought impact on forest growth, ecological functions and ecosystem services in thinned and unthinned Norway spruce-dominated stands in Switzerland.

Within this project we offer the opportunity to conduct one master thesis.

Topic: Effect of past management on forest stand stability (structural predisposition to storm and bark beetle disturbance) and regeneration.

Potential methods: field observations, spatial analysis, statistical analysis.

Language: German (and English).

Period: late Spring/Summer 2023 (with fieldwork ideally in June-August); office work and preparation can start earlier.

For questions and further information please contact Alessandra Bottero (alessandra.bottero@wsl.ch).

Sites Internet du WSL

waldwissen.net

Plateforme pour les milieux de la forêt et le public intéressé

waldschutz.wsl.ch

Protection de la forêt suisse

lfi.ch

L’inventaire forestier national suisse (IFN), source de connaissances sur la forêt suisse.

envidat.ch

Accès à des données d'observation environnementale

dangers-naturels.ch

Services spécialisés de la Confédération sur les dangers naturels

boismort.ch

Connaître, protéger et promouvoir le bois mort et les vieux arbres

slf.ch

WSL Institut pour l'étude de la neige et des avalanches SLF à Davos

Menu principal

Menu principal

Dr. Alessandra Bottero

Research interests

Education and academic career

FURTHER INFORMATION

Projects

TradeES

MountEx

Partitioning of resources between beech trees during drought

Climate-smart forestry directions based on national Forest Inventory data

Acclimation and environmental memory

Adaptation of trees to extreme climate events

Sumforest - ForRISK

Publications

Publications WSL

Peer-reviewed

Further scientific publications

Magazine article and brochures

Additional publications

Peer-reviewed

Others

Network

Boards, Editorial & Review activity

Boards and Committees

Editorial and Review activity

SciComm & Outreach

Science Communication, Outreach and Media Coverage

Opportunities for Students

Opportunities for Students

Navigation mit Access Keys

Menu principal

Menu principal

Dr. Alessandra Bottero

TradeES

MountEx

Partitioning of resources between beech trees during drought

Climate-smart forestry directions based on national Forest Inventory data

Acclimation and environmental memory

Adaptation of trees to extreme climate events

Sumforest - ForRISK

Peer-reviewed

Others

Boards and Committees

Editorial and Review activity

Science Communication, Outreach and Media Coverage

Opportunities for Students