TY - GEN A1 - Heinken, Thilo A1 - Blumröder, Jeanette S. A1 - Adhikari, Yojana A1 - Balthasar, Cathrina A1 - Binder, Anja A1 - Birkhofer, Klaus A1 - Bischoff, Antje A1 - Brosinsky, Arlena A1 - Bubner, Ben A1 - Clerc, Danica A1 - Djoudi, El Aziz A1 - Dobkowitz, Sophia A1 - Francke, Till A1 - Gerwin, Werner A1 - Hartong, Heinrich A1 - Hess, Carsten A1 - Jarling, René A1 - Jouy, Florent A1 - Leinen, Loretta A1 - Meißner, Andreas A1 - Raab, Thomas A1 - Repmann, Frank A1 - Rönnefarth, Susanne A1 - Schaaf, Wolfgang A1 - Schirrmacher, Marina A1 - Schmehl, Marie-Therese A1 - Schmitt, Thomas A1 - Schröder, Jens A1 - Schüle, Maren A1 - Sturm, Knut A1 - Welle, Torsten A1 - Ibisch, Pierre L. T1 - PYROPHOB – A post-fire ecosystem research project to inform management for resilient forest development BT - PYROPHOB – Ein Ökosystemforschungsprojekt auf Waldbrandflächen als Grundlage für das Management einer resilienten Waldentwicklung T2 - Tuexenia N2 - PYROPHOB (fire-resistant) is the name of an interdisciplinary research project that is running for five years from 2020 to 2025. In this project, eight institutions are investigating the ecological effects of wildfires and subsequent forest management strategies in pine forests (plantations) in Brandenburg (NE Germany), with the aim of formulating practical recommendations for managing fire-prone forests and the effective restoration of post-fire forest areas. We provide a brief overview of what is known about the effects of wildfire on abiotic and biotic parameters in temperate pine forests, as well as the effects of silvicultural treatments. To date, we know little about how different components of biodiversity are linked in post-fire forest ecosystems and how management affects their functioning. By describing the project, we illustrate the requirements for the implementation of such an applied research project. We emphasize the importance of the study design for dealing with interdisciplinary questions and for the quantitative synthesis of research results. The project comprises a set of standardised field plots in two wildfire areas covering different post-fire management options. Fifteen study sites were established, including two reference sites in unburned pine stands, each with ten study plots as replicates. In situ nitrogen mineralisation, litter decomposition tests and soil biological activity are used for soil biological characterisation. Microclimate data is measured continuously. Standing and lying dead wood and tree regeneration are recorded as key indicators of the success of forestry treatments. Further methods com-prise terrestrial laser scanning, remote sensing techniques as well as surveys of vegetation and above and below ground biomass. Identification of fruiting body-forming fungi, phytoparasites and ectomycorrhizal fungi is supported by marker gene sequencing. Faunistic indicators comprise predatory soil arthropods (pairs of emergence tents and soil traps), saproxylic beetles (flight traps and funnel traps), moths (automated window traps), mammals (camera traps), and breeding birds (visual and acoustic observation). We discuss the strengths and limitations of the project design. We are able to systematically capture short-term temporal shifts in parameters and trends in post-fire ecosystem development. Research in a real landscape with ongoing environmental changes and interventions pres-ents challenges for experimental design, data analysis and interpretation. The drivers of ecosystem development are rarely completely independent or perfectly balanced, and lack of replication is ine-vitable. The two fires did not occur in the same year and season, resulting in different initial conditions for the colonisation of the burned areas. Finally, a large part of one study area was again affected by a fire in 2022, which destroyed direct comparability with the other sites. Despite these obstacles the project has started to generate valuable results to address management and conservation challenges. Y1 - 2024 U6 - https://doi.org/10.14471/2024.44.004 SN - 0722-494X SN - 2748-3452 VL - 44 ER -