[IUFRO Div 7] International Conference on Ozone and Plant Ecosystems 21-25 May, 2018, Florence, Italy

*International Conference on Ozone and Plant Ecosystems* *21-25 May, 2018, Florence, Italy* Dear Ozone & Plants experts, Ozone pollution continues to be a serious issue for terrestrial ecosystems and plant health. Progress has been achieved by controlling the emission of precursors in some areas of the world, but much remains to be done. This conference will allow all experts in the interactions between ozone and plant ecosystems to meet and discuss the state of the art and the strategies for continuous improvements. The main subjects of the conference are: 1. Monitoring, modelling and assessing the risk of ozone damage to plant ecosystems Proofs of the impacts of ambient ozone on plant ecosystems are still elusive. New monitoring approaches and epidemiological studies are developing. Modelling of ozone is becoming more and more sophisticated and high resolution. Risk assessment is evaluating many different metrics for plant protection, with a focus on stomatal ozone flux. All these developments, with focus on the most modern techniques, will be discussed in this session. 2. How plant ecosystems affect ozone concentration in the atmosphere Ozone deposition is strongly affected by the type of vegetation. Exchanges of biogenic volatile organic compounds is known to contribute to ozone chemistry in the atmosphere. This session addresses mechanisms, seasonality, responses to ozone singly and in combination with other environmental factors, as well as selection of appropriate green infrastructure for urban greening. 3. How plant ecosystems respond to ozone exposure This session will include food security and effects on forests and grasslands. A main aim is to evaluate strategies for maximizing yield, productivity and other environmental services of plant ecosystems under ozone stress. Following the success of the conference Ozone and Plants held in Beijing in May 2014, we are pleased to announce this follow-up conference. For more details, please check the website https://conference2018.wixsite.com/ozoneandplants We look forward to meeting you in Florence! With our best regards *The Organizers* IUFRO RG7.01.00 Impacts of Air Pollution and Climate Change on Forest Ecosystems IUFRO WP7.01.02 Genetic, biochemical and physiological processes WP7.01.05 Modelling and risk assessment WP7.01.09 Ground-level ozone ICP Vegetation *The Scientific Committee* Elena Paoletti, CNR Italy (Program Chair) Zhaozhong Feng, CAS China (Program Chair) Alessandra De Marco, ENEA Italy Pierre Sicard, ACRI France Marisa Domingos, San Paulo University Brazil Evgenios Agathokleous, FPRI Japan Yasutomo Hoshika, CNR Italy Harry Harmens, CEH UK Gina Mills, CEH UK Lu Zhang, Northeast Agricultural University Harbin, China *The Organizing Committee* Elisa Carrari, CNR Italy Alessio Giovannelli, CNR Italy Enrico Marchi, University of Florence, Italy *Invited speakers* Hakan Pleijel, University of Gothenburg, Sweden: Ozone impacts on crop yield and food security (confirmed) Silvano Fares, CREA-SEL Arezzo, Italy: Ozone and BVOC exchanges between biosphere and atmosphere (confirmed) Youzhi Feng, CAS Beijing, China : Elevated ground-level ozone modifies the microbiome (confirmed)