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Plant Science and Agronomy
Denmark
2026

D-Index & Metrics

Plant Science and Agronomy

D-Index
65
Citations
16897
World Ranking
910
National Ranking
10

Ecology and Evolution

D-Index
66
Citations
17261
World Ranking
1679
National Ranking
34

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Plant Science and Agronomy in Denmark Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Plant Science and Agronomy in Denmark Leader Award

Overview

Lars Vesterdal is affiliated with the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. Their research primarily focuses on environmental and agricultural biological sciences, with particular expertise in soil science, nature and landscape conservation, and plant science. Their body of work covers 74 publications in agricultural and biological sciences and 60 in environmental science.

The scientist has contributed extensively to the study of forest ecosystems and soil processes. Key topics in their research include soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics, forest ecology and biodiversity studies, ecology and vegetation dynamics studies, and mycorrhizal fungi and plant interactions. Additional research areas include peatlands and wetlands ecology as well as forest management and policy.

Vesterdal has a significant number of recent publications, reflecting ongoing contributions to understanding forest and soil ecology:

  • Tamm Review: Influence of forest management activities on soil organic carbon stocks: A knowledge synthesis, 2020, Forest Ecology and Management
  • Decomposition and transformations along the continuum from litter to soil organic matter in forest soils, 2021, Forest Ecology and Management
  • Forest tree growth is linked to mycorrhizal fungal composition and function across Europe, 2022, The ISME Journal
  • Old-growth forest carbon sinks overestimated, 2021, Nature
  • Ecoenzymatic stoichiometry can reflect microbial resource limitation, substrate quality, or both in forest soils, 2022, Soil Biology and Biochemistry

The scientist frequently publishes in venues related to forest ecology and soil sciences. Their frequent publication venues include:

  • Forest Ecology and Management
  • Soil Biology and Biochemistry
  • SSRN Electronic Journal
  • Functional Ecology
  • Frontiers in Forests and Global Change

Vesterdal's collaborative network features multiple co-authors with whom they have published repeatedly. Notable frequent co-authors include Inger Kappel Schmidt, Petr Hědenec, Haifeng Zheng, Yan Peng, and Kai Yue.

In addition to journal articles, they have contributed to the literature through book publications. One notable work is a conference proceeding titled Forest monitoring to assess forest functioning under air pollution and climate change. Proceedings. FORECOMON 2021 - the 9th forest ecosystem monitoring conference. 7-9 June 2021, Birmensdorf, Switzerland, published by the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology.

Best Publications

  • How strongly can forest management influence soil carbon sequestration

    Robert Jandl;Marcus Lindner;Lars Vesterdal;Bram Bauwens

  • Temporal dynamics of soil organic carbon after land-use change in the temperate zone ― carbon response functions as a model approach

    Christopher Poeplau;Axel Don;Lars Vesterdal;Jens Leifeld

  • Tamm Review: Influence of forest management activities on soil organic carbon stocks: A knowledge synthesis

    Mathias Mayer;Cindy E. Prescott;Wafa E.A. Abaker;Laurent Augusto

  • Carbon and nitrogen in forest floor and mineral soil under six common European tree species

    Lars Vesterdal;Inger K. Schmidt;Ingeborg Callesen;Lars Ola Nilsson

  • Change in soil organic carbon following afforestation of former arable land

    Lars Vesterdal;Eva Ritter;Per Gundersen

  • Do tree species influence soil carbon stocks in temperate and boreal forests

    Lars Vesterdal;Nicholas Clarke;Bjarni D. Sigurdsson;Per Gundersen

  • Environment and host as large-scale controls of ectomycorrhizal fungi

    Sietse van der Linde;Sietse van der Linde;Laura M. Suz;C. David L. Orme;Filipa Cox

  • Influences of evergreen gymnosperm and deciduous angiosperm tree species on the functioning of temperate and boreal forests

    Laurent Augusto;An De Schrijver;Lars Vesterdal;Aino Smolander

  • Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning relations in European forests depend on environmental context

    Sophia Ratcliffe;Christian Wirth;Christian Wirth;Tommaso Jucker;Tommaso Jucker;Fons van der Plas

  • Soil carbon stores in Nordic well‐drained forest soils—relationships with climate and texture class

    I. Callesen;J. Liski;J. Liski;K. Raulund-Rasmussen;M. T. Olsson

  • Biotic homogenization can decrease landscape-scale forest multifunctionality

    Fons van der Plas;Pete Manning;Santiago Soliveres;Eric Allan

  • Soil respiration and rates of soil carbon turnover differ among six common European tree species

    Lars Vesterdal;Bo Elberling;Jesper Riis Christiansen;Ingeborg Callesen

  • Tree species is the major factor explaining C:N ratios in European forest soils

    N. Cools;L. Vesterdal;B. De Vos;E. Vanguelova

  • Jack-of-all-trades effects drive biodiversity–ecosystem multifunctionality relationships in European forests

    Fons Van der Plas;Peter Manning;Eric Allan;Michael Scherer-Lorenzen

  • Decomposition and transformations along the continuum from litter to soil organic matter in forest soils

    Cindy E. Prescott;Lars Vesterdal

  • Soil carbon stock change following afforestation in Northern Europe: a meta-analysis.

    T. G. Bárcena;L. P. Kiær;L. Vesterdal;H. M. Stefánsdóttir

  • A novel comparative research platform designed to determine the functional significance of tree species diversity in European forests

    Lander Baeten;Kris Verheyen;Christian Wirth;Helge Bruelheide

  • Forest tree growth is linked to mycorrhizal fungal composition and function across Europe

    Unknown

  • Is Tree Species Diversity or Species Identity the More Important Driver of Soil Carbon Stocks, C/N Ratio, and pH?

    Seid Muhie Dawud;Karsten Raulund-Rasmussen;Timo Domisch;Leena Finér

  • Forest floor chemistry under seven tree species along a soil fertility gradient

    Lars Vesterdal;Karsten Raulund-Rasmussen

  • Detection of temporal trends in atmospheric deposition of inorganic nitrogen and sulphate to forests in Europe

    Peter Waldner;Aldo Marchetto;Anne Thimonier;Maria Schmitt

  • Effects of thinning and soil properties on accumulation of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in the forest floor of Norway spruce stands

    Lars Vesterdal;Mads Dalsgaard;Claus Felby;Karsten Raulund-Rasmussen

  • Litterfall and nutrient return in five tree species in a common garden experiment.

    Karin Hansen;Lars Vesterdal;Inger Kappel Schmidt;Per Gundersen

Frequent Co-Authors

Per Gundersen
Per Gundersen University of Copenhagen
Karsten Raulund-Rasmussen
Karsten Raulund-Rasmussen University of Copenhagen
Leena Finér
Leena Finér Natural Resources Institute Finland
Kris Verheyen
Kris Verheyen Ghent University
Bogdan Jaroszewicz
Bogdan Jaroszewicz University of Warsaw
Inger Kappel Schmidt
Inger Kappel Schmidt University of Copenhagen
Cindy E. Prescott
Cindy E. Prescott University of British Columbia
Helge Bruelheide
Helge Bruelheide Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
Fernando Valladares
Fernando Valladares Spanish National Research Council
Federico Selvi
Federico Selvi University of Florence

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