Ulrike Hiltner
Ulrike Hiltner, MSc Geography
Institute of Geography
Research Group Bräuning
- Email: ulrike.hiltner@fau.de
Consultation
By appointment
| Since 2016 | PhD student at Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (Research Group Bräuning) and UFZ Leipzig (Resarch Group Huth) with DBU doctoral scholarship |
| 2014-2016 | Research assistant at Department Ecological Modelling of UFZ Leipzig |
| 2011-2013 | Master Student of Physical Geography (Emphasis: Forest Modelling, Dendro Ecology) at Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg |
| 2007-2011 | Bachelor Student of Physical Geography (Emphasis: Biogeography, Palaeoclimatology) at Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg |
| 2009-2013 | Student assistant in dendro-lab (Research Group Bräuning) at Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg |
- Hiltner, U., Huth, A., Bräuning, A., Hérault, B., Fischer, R., (2018):
Simulation of succession in a neotropical forest: High selective logging intensities prolong the recovery times of ecosystem functions
For. Ecol. Manage. 430 , 517 – 525 - Hiltner, U., Bräuning, A., Gebrekirstos, A., Huth, A., Fischer, R., (2016):
Impacts of precipitation variability on the dynamics of a dry tropical montane forest
Ecol. Model. 320 , 92 – 101
Talks and Posters
2018:
- Ulrike Hiltner, A. Bräuning, A. Huth, R. Fischer: Simulation der Sukzession neotropischer Wälder: Hohe selektive Abholzungsintensitäten verlängern die Erholungszeiten verschiedener Ökosystemleistungen. Talk on Forstwissenschaftliche Tagung – FowiTa in Goettingen, Germany.
- Ulrike Hiltner, A. Bräuning, A. Huth, R. Fischer: Long-term effects of selective logging: A production forest’s succession of the Amazon. Poster on HIGRADE conference in Leipzig, Germany.
- Ulrike Hiltner, A. Bräuning, A. Huth, R. Fischer: Effects of selective logging on a production forest’s succession of the Amazon: a simulation experiment. Talk on Conference of Society of Tropical Ecology – GTOE in Paris, France.
2017:
- Ulrike Hiltner, A. Bräuning, A. Gebrekristos, A. Huth, R. Fischer: Development of an innovative software-tool for decision-making: Simulation of resource-effictive management strategies in tropical forests. Poster on Conference of Society of Tropical Ecology – GTOE in Brussles, Belgium.
2016:
- Ulrike Hiltner, A. Bräuning, A. Gebrekristos, A. Huth, R. Fischer: Impacts of precipitation variability on the dynamics of a dry tropical montane forest. Poster on Conference of Society of Tropical Ecology – GTOE in Goettingen, Germany.
- My major fields of study are Physical Geography, Ecosystem Modelling, Data Science, Dendroecology, and Forestry.
- In my current work, I focus on forest ecosystems. I develop and apply simulation models to investigate crucial mechanisms in forests that influence the structure, dynamics and ecosystem functions. The references to natural systems I derive from various types of field data. Important subjects of my research are: tree growth, spatio-temporal dynamics and community interactions, effects of disturbances, such as climate change and forest management, as well as resilience to stress.
- I am also interested in data scientific methods which are helpful for the development of models and the analysis of simulation results.
Predicting the impact of forest management and climate change on forest ecosystems
Ecosystem functions of forests, such as biomass productivity but also the supply of timber, are of particular interest for me. Forests help to stabilize the global climate as they fix carbon in their biomass. However, there is a potential for vulnerability. Disturbances, such as continuous climate change and logging interventions, affect the forests’ sensitive balance to varying degrees. If, as a result, forest degradation or even land use change into agricultural land occurs, this will bring further negative feedback loops which may affect other ecosystem services.
Identifying which forest management strategies are sustainable in times of climate change is of global relevance. This ensures that forest ecosystems and resources remain stable in the future. In order to achieve these goals, decision-makers should be able to weigh up reasonable trade-offs between ecological and economic alternatives to forest use. Finding a consensus is often difficult because non-linear, interactive processes within forest ecosystems under additional influences of various environmental factors make predictions difficult. Simulation models can be used to test a wide range of options for action, respectively. For my investigations, I use the forest model FORMIND to quantify the long-term effects of different forest management strategies on forest growth in the context of climate change.