Dear all, The International Tree Mortality Network, an initiative of the IUFRO task force on monitoring trends and patterns in global tree mortality, continues the online seminar series join on *May 6, 5 pm CEST*, with: *Dr. Lisa Hülsmann* *Title: Tree mortality modelling – a tool for ecological inference and a challenge for projecting forest dynamics* _Abstract:_ Tree death is ubiquitous in forests, even without climate change, and has a lasting impact on forest structure, species composition, biomass, and biodiversity. By relating tree mortality and other vital rates to tree, forest, and environmental conditions, we can therefore identify the mechanisms that govern the shape of forest ecosystems. In turn, these empirical relationships can be useful for projecting future forest dynamics and range limits of tree species. In the talk, I will discuss empirical tree mortality models as a diagnostic opportunity and a modeling challenge through two examples: the role of conspecific negative density dependence (Janzen-Connell effects) for tree diversity and the tighter coupling of dynamic vegetation models to forest data. _Bio:_ Dr. Lisa Hülsmann leads a junior research group at the University of Regensburg (Germany) and combines empirical and simulation models to investigate biotic interactions, ecosystem productivities, range limits and their response to environmental change and human activities especially in forest ecosystems. She studied forest ecology and hydrogeology at the University of Göttingen and did her PhD on tree mortality modelling at ETH Zurich. *Please register for the Zoom Webinar: * https://zoom.us/webinar/register/1516189233652/WN_F4a4CsEzT6Ct4AsBIruztQ <https://zoom.us/webinar/register/1516189233652/WN_F4a4CsEzT6Ct4AsBIruztQ> Note that the talks might be recorded. *Recordings of previous seminars on YouTube:* https://t1p.de/lrlv <https://t1p.de/lrlv> *Visit us at:* https://www.tree-mortality.net/ <https://www.tree-mortality.net/> https://www.iufro.org/science/task-forces/tree-mortality-patterns/ <https://www.iufro.org/science/task-forces/tree-mortality-patterns/> -- --- Dr. (habil.) Henrik Hartmann Group leader Plant Allocation MPI for Biogeochemistry Hans Knöll Str. 10 07745 Jena, Germany Contact:hhart@bgc-jena.mpg.de <mailto:hhart@bgc-jena.mpg.de> Phone:+49.3641.576294 Mobile:+49.171.8188273 Website: https://www.bgc-jena.mpg.de/bgp/index.php/HenrikHartmann/HenrikHartmann <https://www.bgc-jena.mpg.de/bgp/index.php/HenrikHartmann/HenrikHartmann> *Initiatives*: International Tree Mortality Network https://www.tree-mortality.net/ <https://www.tree-mortality.net/> IUFRO Task Force on monitoring of global tree mortality patterns and trends https://www.iufro.org/science/task-forces/tree-mortality-patterns/ <https://www.iufro.org/science/task-forces/tree-mortality-patterns/>