Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2026
Abstract
Forest volume in Norway has now surpassed one billion cubic metres. One hundred years ago, the volume was around 300 million cubic metres. At the same time, new analyses show that in some regions more timber is being harvested than is growing back. This marks a significant break from the last 100 years, where annual growth far exceeded logging.
Authors
Ferdinand Hartmann Heide Spiegel Gerhard Soja Eugenio Díaz-Pinés Simon Weldon Markus Gorfer Paola Gregur Rebecca Hood-NowotnyAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Niko Steiner Christian Bruckner Nikolai Buer Kiara Franke Anne Margrete Leiros Nilsen Ralf Rautenberger Leonard Rößler Dominykas Salvaitis Alexander O. Jueterbock Inka BartschAbstract
Seaweed cultivation represents an emerging industry in Europe, where most biomass is still derived from wild harvesting. A potential approach to establishing a sustainable seaweed production industry involves improving seaweed strains. Temperature priming, introducing moderate stress to enhance subsequent performance, offers a rapid approach for improving growth. We examined the effect of three weeks temperature priming (0, 10, 20 °C) of gametophytes of Saccharina latissima on the early life stages (gametophyte growth, sporophyte recruitment, juvenile sporophyte growth). Cold priming (0 °C) stimulated gametogenesis and produced significantly larger microscopic sporophytes. This size advantage of the juvenile sporophytes was carried through a temperature gradient experiment (0–21 °C) over two weeks, especially under optimum temperatures (5–15 °C). In a second experiment with a similar gametophyte priming approach, we cultivated sporophytes for six months in mariculture and investigated size, biomass and biochemical composition. Biomass of sporophytes from 0 °C primed gametophytes was twofold higher than of 10, and fourfold higher than of 20 °C-primed gametophytes. The difference in mineral composition in sporophyte blades between priming treatments was variable. Heavy metals (As, Cd) were lower under warm priming (20 °C) and few macro- and trace elements (K, P, S, Mn) significantly increased under cold priming. The results demonstrate a transgenerational carry-over effect from haploid gametophytes to diploid sporophytes and underscore the significance of gametophyte cold exposure for the growth of S. latissima sporophytes. It suggests that cold priming of gametophytes may serve as a form of winter mimicry to enhance growth and to modify biochemical composition in kelp cultivation.
Abstract
Abstract The utilisation of waste wood in cement-bonded composites addresses pressing ecological challenges by diverting municipal waste wood from incineration. In this study, a life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted on a pilot-sized wood-cement composite board (1 × 1 m²; 18 mm thick) incorporating 25 wt% waste wood converted into wood chips. Environmental impacts were quantified for standard categories, including global warming, acidification, eutrophication, etc., in accordance with ISO 14044 guidelines. The results showed that Ordinary Portland cement was the dominant contributor to all impact categories, whereas the waste wood had negligible cradle burden. The composite product achieved a global warming potential of approx. 10.7 kg CO₂-eq., substantially lower than comparable cement-based composite boards on the market (14–32 kg CO₂-eq.). Primary energy demand of the boards was 40–70% less than that of commercial alternatives, benefiting from the use of bio-based waste and a cleaner energy mix in production. The composite boards exhibited a favourable environmental profile while maintaining acceptable mechanical performance for non-structural applications, thus providing a sustainable outlet for municipal waste wood. The findings support the viability of upcycling municipal waste wood into value-added building materials in line with circular economy goals.
Authors
Johanna Eva Bodin Rakel Blaalid Knut Tomas Dalen Nur Duale Siri Lie Olsen Kristian Prydz Monica Sanden Sjur Sandgrind Ville Erling Sipinen Hugo de Boer Anders Bryn Kaare Magne NielsenAbstract
The Norwegian Environment Agency has tasked The Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment (VKM) with developing generic guidance documents for environmental risk assessment of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to be used in field trials. GMOs used in field trials may have effects on the environment, and human and animal health. All experiments involving the use of GMOs in field trails for research require approval under the Norwegian Gene Technology Act. The Norwegian Environment Agency is the decision-making authority for deliberate release of GM plants in field trials. VKM performs health and environmental risk assessments (ERAs) of genetically modified plants (GM plants) for the Norwegian Environment Agency. This guidance document is intended as a support for applicants seeking approval for field trials with GM plants under the Gene Technology Act. The risk assessments conducted by VKM generally follow the step-by-step approach outlined in EU Directive 2001/18/EC on the deliberate release of genetically modified organisms into the environment, starting with hazard identification, hazard characterization, exposure characterization and risk characterization. The Gene Technology Act and the Regulations on impact assessment under the Gene Technology Act implements Directive 2001/18/EC into Norwegian legislation. Appendix 2 of the Regulation contain the principles for environmental risk assessment, which corresponds to the principles of Annex II in the Directive. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has developed further guidance on the risk assessment of genetically modified organisms based on Annex II. The guidance is based on guidance documents developed by the EFSA on risk assessment of GM plants. The document is divided into four main chapters: molecular characterisation, cross-cutting considerations, specific areas of risk to be addressed in the ERA, and risk-reducing measures. The guidance is intended to support applicants in identifying experimental data and scientific documentation necessary to include in an application to enable an independent risk assessment. The guidance is intended as a dynamic document to be amended in accordance with future scientific and regulatory developments.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Despite the growing use of heritagization in describing how food and food-related practices become cultural heritage, important questions remain regarding what characterizes heritagization and its internal dynamics. This article advances studies on heritagization by applying cultural adaptation work (CAW) to apple festivals. Whereas CAW has been conceptualized within Norway’s regime of geographical indications (GIs) as a rule-bound regulatory institution, we revise and extend that conceptualization by (i) relocating CAW to a hybrid institutional arena where protected GIs (PGIs) and festivals meet; (ii) specifying how CAW’s adaptive practices – translation, reorganization, and transformation – operate as mechanisms that generate recognition, legitimization, and valorization; and (iii) foregrounding festival publics, pedagogy, and experimentation as drivers of adaptation. Drawing on multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork in Norway at three apple-based PGI festivals and, for comparison, one non-PGI apple festival, we show how bottom-up festivalization recalibrates the top-down governance of GIs and yields both intended outcomes and unintended frictions. By shifting analysis from stage models to patterned work on living heritage, the CAW-in-GI-festivals approach makes adaptation practices visible and comparable across cases. In turn, it clarifies food heritagization’s internal dynamics and offers a lens on agri-food domains where de jure certification regimes intersect with de facto experiential publics.
Authors
Berger, Lisa MarianneAbstract
Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.) is one of the most important tree species in Europe and Norway both ecologically and economically. To produce sufficient seedlings for reforestation and commercial forestry, Norway spruce plants are commonly cultivated in forest nurseries where conditions such as high plant density and humidity may increase susceptibility to pathogen infection. Meanwhile, increasing fungicide resistance and stricter regulations on fungicide use have created a need for alternative and more sustainable disease management strategies. One potential approach is defense priming with the use of methyl jasmonate (MeJA), a plant hormone associated with defense activation. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of MeJA seed priming on defense-related and physiological responses in Norway spruce seedlings from different provenances. Seeds originating from Aremark, Inderøy and Kilen were treated with MeJA or water (control) prior to sowing. Effects of seed treatment were evaluated through analyses of germination, growth, stomatal characteristics, pigment composition, relative gene expression and resistance to Botrytis cinerea. Relative gene expression of selected defense-related (PaCHI4, PaPAL2, PaTPS-CAR) and photosynthesis-related (PaPSI, PaPSII, PaCHL) genes were quantified using RT-qPCR following mechanical wounding. MeJA treatment significantly reduced seedling growth across provenances and was associated with lower germination in several treatments, suggesting physiological trade-offs related to defense activation. MeJA treatment also affected expression of both defense- and photosynthesis-related genes, including increased expression of PaCHI4 and PaPAL2, as well as altered expression of PaPSI and PaPSII, indicating that seed priming affected both defense and photosynthetic physiology. Mechanical wounding further amplified several of these responses and strongly affected pigment composition and gene expression. Chlorophyll a concentration and chlorophyll a/b ratios were reduced following wounding and MeJA treatment, while carotenoid response varied among provenances. In contrast, stomatal size was not significantly affected by treatment. Following B. cinerea inoculation, MeJA-treated seedlings generally exhibited a tendency toward higher resistance compared to controls, although responses varied among provenances and were not consistently significant. Overall, the results demonstrate that MeJA seed priming influences multiple physiological and molecular processes in Norway spruce seedlings and may enhance inducible defense responses against pathogen stress.
Authors
Mong, Åsta DimmenAbstract
Due to rising concerns over the negative effects from pesticides, nations like Norway have implemented integrated pest management (IPM) in their national strategy to reduce pesticide use. IPM highlights semi-natural habitats (SNH) as key elements in conservation biological control, as they provide essential resources for natural enemies. One of the pests in apple orchards is the codling moth (Tortricidae: Cydia pomonella) and it is known to have developed resistance against a variety of pesticides. The codling moth may be exposed to ground dwelling predators such as carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) during its life stages on the orchard floor. The aim of this study was to explore how semi-natural habitats (SNH) influence ground dwelling predator communities in apple orchards and its possible impacts for biocontrol using the codling moth as an example. By using pitfall traps, this study explored how predator communities varied across a distance gradient from adjacent SNH in three apple orchards in Østfold, Norway throughout one growth season. Results suggest that activity-density, species diversity and richness are influenced by season rather than distance. Carabid communities were found to become less functionally diverse towards the orchard interior as both functional diversity indices decreased with increasing distance.
Authors
Christoffersen, BendikAbstract
Små innløpsbekker som ligger i boreale barskogområder er følsomme for endringer i vannføring og avrenning fra nedbørfeltet. Denne studien undersøker hvordan hydrologi påvirker vannkjemi i fire innløpsbekker til Råsjøen i Sørøst-Norge (60.2°N, 10.8°Ø). Systemet ligger i et område som tidligere har vært påvirket av antropogen forsuring, og systemet som helhet er også i dag påvirket av brunifisering («browning»). Denne studien har fokus på sammenhenger mellom konsentrasjon av vannkjemiske parametere og vannføring modellert ved kovariansanalyse (ANCOVA), effekt av innsjøkalking på vannkjemien i bekkene nedstrøms innsjøene, trender i utvikling for fargetall i bekker og innsjøer (Mann-Kendall), og påvirkning på tetthet av brunørret. Analysene er basert på flere årlige vannprøver (i snitt ~7 vannprøver/år) fra 2015 – 2025, data for fargetall fra Miljødirektoratets database for innsjøer beliggende oppstrøms bekkene i de respektive nedbørfeltene fra 1995 – 2024, målinger av vannføring med saltfortynningsmetoden, vannføringskurver og årlig elektrofiskedata fra 2015 – 2025. De fire undersøkte bekkene varierer i kalkstatus, hvor bekk A har et nedbørfelt hvor alle innsjøene oppstrøm er kalket, bekk B hvor en av to oppstrøms innsjøer er kalket, og bekk C og D hvor ingen av innsjøene oppstrøms er kalket. Økende vannføring hang sammen med lavere pH, syrenøytraliseringskapasitet (ANC) og alkalinitet, og med høyere konsentrasjon av totalt organisk karbon (TOC), fargetall og uorganisk aluminium (Ali) for samtlige bekker. Disse sammenhengene kan tyde på at episoder med høy vannføring øker grunnvannsnivået som i økende grad kobler på strømningsbaner for vannet i grunnere jordlag, hvor innholdet av organisk materiale er større. Dette peker på at surstøtene som inntreffer som konsekvens av økt vannføring er drevet av en samtidig reduksjon av ANC og økt konsentrasjon av organisk materiale løst i vannet, som inneholder en betydelig del organiske syrer. Data fra pH-loggere med høy tidsoppløsning viste hysterese for forholdet mellom pH og vannføring, hvor pH konsekvent var lavere på stigende vannføring sammenliknet med synkende vannføring, for de tre episodene som var undersøkt for bekk A, B og C. Dette kan tyde på at mer organisk materiale tilføres bekken på stigende flom sammenliknet med synkende, ved tilsvarende vannføring, under de undersøkte episodene. Bekk D hadde både de høyeste nivåene av TOC og fargetall, samtidig med lavest bufferevne. For en analysert hendelse med ekstremnedbør var det i denne bekken en meget forlenget periode før pH var tilbake til nivået den lå på før hendelsen. Dette førte til et mer komplekst åttetallsformet hysteresemønster. Kalkingen i innsjøene i nedbørfeltene påvirket bakgrunnsnivået for buffer-parametere og pH, men hindret ikke den vannkjemiske responsen på økt vannføring og flomhendelser. Likevel var motstandsdyktigheten mot de vannkjemiske endringene i bekk A betydelig bedre med tanke på absolutte verdier av de kjemiske parameterne for hele spennet av vannføring. Det ser også ut til at innsjøkalkingen i nedbørfelt B forbedret hastigheten på restitusjonen av pH på synkende vannføring etter flomhendelser. For bekk A var både pH signifikant høyere for hele spennet i vannføring og Ali signifikant lavere i bakgrunnsnivå sammenliknet med de andre bekkene. Verken verdier fra pH-logger eller vannprøver gikk under/over aktuelle grenseverdier brukt i denne studien for bekk A. To av fire bekker viste positive langtidstrender for fargetall, i tillegg til fem av elleve innsjøer i nedbørfeltene og Råsjøen (resipienten). Dette tyder på at browning er relevant i studieområdet og i Råsjøens nedbørfelt. De kraftigste episodiske surstøtene inntraff i bekk D, hvor pH holdt seg under 4 sammenhengende i omtrent to dager, for to forskjellige perioder høsten 2025, og under 4.5 for tilnærmet en uke. Bekk D hadde også de laveste tetthetene for både 0+ og 1+ ørret. Resultatene tyder på at hydrologiske forhold i stor grad styrer vannkjemien i disse boreale bekkene. Innsjøkalking oppstrøms beskytter ikke bekkene direkte mot episodiske surstøt indusert av økt vannføring, men resultatene tyder på at det kan beskytte mot omfanget av pH-fallene i tillegg til restitusjonstid for pH i etterkant av flomhendelser.