Photos: Hayedo de Montejo, Wikipedia; Author’s own photo; Spanish National Forest Inventory (IFN).

Beech forests (Fagus sylvatica) cover 387,776 ha in Spain. The country includes 18 provenance regions for this species. These forests in the Iberian Peninsula represent the southwesternmost populations of beech in Europe, making them ecologically and biogeographically unique.

This ecological diversity makes its forests a unique natural laboratory for research on biodiversity, climate adaptation, and ecosystem management. Through this, I hope to share a more accurate picture of Spain as a biologically rich country far beyond the stereotypes of beaches and tourism.

Forest ecosystems cover more than 28 million ha and account for over 55% of the country’s total land area. Spain is also the European country with the highest plant biodiversity, hosting an extraordinary variety of ecosystems shaped by Atlantic, Mediterranean, alpine, and subtropical influences.

For this reason, I will try to show Spain’s forested landscapes and the diversity of forest types across the country. Contrary to common perception, Spain is among the countries with the largest forest area in the EU, with forests and other wooded land covering half the territory.

As a forest researcher, I very often (far too often) encounter questions such as: What does a forest researcher do in Spain? Do you even have forests there? The international image of Spain as a mostly desert-like country, and mainly associated with sun and beach,has contributed to this stereotype.

Today, we close the #EU4AdviceGeneralAssembly in Valencia with a forward-looking day focused on Living Labs governance and long-term sustainability models. Partners will discuss training, monitoring tools, and new ways to ensure that our local innovations continue to grow across Europe.

Excited to join FUNURB, a collaborative project led by the Phytopathology group at the Swiss Federal Research Institute @wslresearch.bsky.social and @ub3guard.bsky.social exploring how urbanization shapes the diversity and function of tree fungal endophytes. This week in Madrid’s urban green areas.

During your PhD you learn to do science...but not to lead people. And later, you're too busy, so just keep going on autopilot. Join us in a FREE class with @glia-leadership.bsky.social + @stefanierobel.bsky.social all about lab leadership & team success. 👉 buff.ly/AzDWf09 #NewPI #TenureTrack

Our pathogenicity trials are now underway. We’re testing whether the Phytophthora isolates we collected from National Park soils are pathogenic to various forest species. Over the next 8–10 weeks, we'll let them grow and observe how they interact with the plants. #biosecurity, #nationalparks

Seminar: " Genomic fingerprints of recent introgression punctuate the clonal evolution of Phytophthora ramorum "‬ Dr. Logan Blair is a Courtesy Faculty in the Dept. of Botany and Plant Pathology at OSU. 🦠 🧬 4pm, Thursday April 17th, In person: ALS 4001 On Zoom: beav.es/cs2

🎫Registration and 📝abstract submission will close on 🗓️31 March 2025.⚡

Primera reunión del año. Se vienen cositas interesantes 🌲🌳🪵🔬. Síguenos para estar #informado de todo. @carmenromeralo.bsky.social @rruizpeinado.bsky.social @csic.es @csicdivulga.bsky.social #ICIFOR #DINAMO #forest #research #climatechange #dendro #soil #pathology #resilience

STSM Report of the Week 🌿 This study examines the isolation of Phytophthora spp., major forest pathogens, and their biological control using essential oils and metabolites. #STSM #Phytophthora #ForestHealth #Biocontrol #BioSecurity #UrbanForestry #CityTrees

APPLY NOW! UB3Guard Training School "Sentinel Arboreta" Atatürk Arboretum, Istanbul, Türkiye – June 17-20, 2025 More info here: ub3guard.eu/news @costprogramme.bsky.social #treehealth #pests #pathogens #urbantrees

🚨 Exciting News! The 6th Plant Microbiome Symposium 6thplantmicrobiomesymposium2025.com will be organized next year, as part of MicroSOS Project! #PMS2025 📅 [3-7 November 2025] 📍 [Antequera, Spain, maps.app.goo.gl/mYYDqS7zeJZG...

UC Cooperative Extension Specialist in Forest Pathology Matteo Garbelotto leads a citizen project that has found four instances of a more aggressive and heat-resilient form of a pathogen killing #California oak trees. www.dailycal.org/news/campus/...

Hoy es el dia! Primer diálogo Esfera Climática para ayudar a científicas a afrontar entrevistas con medios de comunicación. Un webinar coordinado por @andreaarnal.bsky.social @angelajustamente.bsky.social con la participación de nuestro querido @marioviciosa.bsky.social Casi 200 inscritas, GRACIAS💚

Australia’s plant biosecurity system serves as a great example of cooperative work among government, stakeholders and forest sector. Their full program is key to prevent pathogens' entry and establishment. #biosecurity, #foresthealth, #planthealth www.frontiersin.org/journals/for...

The IUFROdivision7 Conference on tree health—"from Cities to Forests" will be held at the Swiss Federal Research Institute (WSL) with members of the COST Action UB3Guard among the organizers.

Durante el primer año de BIOPARQUE hemos alcanzado nuestro primer objetivo. Queríamos saber si los humanos son vectores de patógenos forestales y por tanto, si los suelos en áreas recreativas, con mayor presencia humana, están actuando como reservas de posibles patógenos forestales.

During the first year of our BIOPARQUE we have achieved our first objective. We wanted to find out if humans are vectors of forest pathogens and therefore, whether forest soils with more human activity in recreational areas are acting as reservoirs of putative forest pathogens.