Veiko Lehsten

Veiko Lehsten is an Associate Professor at Mid Sweden University's Department of Natural Sciences, Design and Sustainable Development. He holds part-time positions at Lund University (Institute of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science) and EJT in Sundsvall, and is a visiting scientist at the Swiss Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape in Zurich. His work combines large-scale vegetation modeling with landscape-level field studies to explore biogeographical phenomena like migration, wildfires, invasive species, phenology, and human population dynamics.

• PhD in Landscape Ecology
• Docent in Geography

Veiko's research spans biogeography and ecosystem modeling, focusing on:

• Biogeography
• Phenology
• Spatial phenomena
• Ecosystem modelling
• Vegetation dynamics
• Invasive species
• Climate change
• Geographical Information Science
• Human population dynamics

Recent publications highlight trends in vegetation dynamics, dispersal limitation, and climate-driven range shifts. His work integrates dynamic simulations (e.g., forest biome shifts in Europe over 18,000 years) with field studies in Arctic ecosystems (Svalbard, Öland) and human-impacted environments. Disciplines span ecology, climate science, and data analysis.

Veiko collaborates with institutions including the University of Oldenburg's Institute for Landscape Ecology, Lund University's Institute of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, and the Swiss Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape. His fieldwork emphasizes plant invasion dynamics in the Baltic region and Arctic ecosystems.