Julen Astigarraga

Julen Astigarraga is a Visiting Research Fellow affiliated with Lund University's Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science. He holds additional research positions with BECC (Biodiversity and Ecosystem services in a Changing Climate) and MERGE (ModElling the Regional and Global Earth system). His work focuses on ecological research examining global change impacts on forest dynamics through computational modeling and big data analysis of forest inventory systems.

Dr. Astigarraga's research interests span forest ecology, climate change impacts, and ecosystem science with emphasis on human-forest interrelations. His work integrates computer modeling with large-scale forest inventory data to understand spatio-temporal trends in forest dynamics. Key research areas include drought response mechanisms, tree recruitment patterns across European forests, canopy structure analysis, and remote sensing applications for ecosystem monitoring.

Recent publications demonstrate strong focus on hotter drought impacts, non-stationary forest responses, and innovative remote sensing tools. His research utilizes European forest inventory data, Sentinel satellite systems, and machine learning approaches to address climate change challenges in forest ecosystems. The work shows particular emphasis on Iberian Peninsula forests and continental-scale European forest dynamics.

Affiliated with two major research projects: SilvaTrend (2025-2029) tracking European tree species demography from 1990-2050 where he serves as Principal Investigator, and Tree2Globe (2024-2029), a Horizon Europe project focused on global forest carbon sink reanalysis where he contributes as a researcher. His collaborative network spans multiple European countries with significant engagement in Spain-related forest research.