Beneficiary 5. Northern Research Institute of Forestry (NRIF), Arkhangelsk, Russia

The NRIF is responsible for forest research in the Russian European North. The main directions of research include forest management; natural and artificial regeneration; biodiversity conservation; forest policy matters; forest ecology; forest certification; forest land remediation; international co-operation in forestry; and forest ecological exploitation under intensive human influence. International co-operation includes: WWF, Finnish-Russian Development Programme on Sustainable Forest Management and Conservation of Biological Diversity in Northwest Russia (NWRDP), EAN-SEABUCK project, financed by Specific Support Action by the European Commission under the FP6 COOP-CT-2005-016106-EAN-SEABUCK. Participation in EUFORGEN meetings. NRIF employs as full-time staff 57 persons. Academic staff includes 4 Doctors of Sciences and 11 Candidates of Sciences. The main fields of experience include forest harvesting methods; silviculture; reforestation; biodiversity conservation; forest economy and management; nursery production; and forest land remediation.

29. Dr. Natalia Demidova, Deputy Director on Sciences, project administration. She will focus on compost application on berry-fruit plantations.
30. Dr. Oleg Kononov, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences is in charge of non-traditional compost research in the Arkhangelsk Region. He will focus on technology of non-traditional organic fertilizers using wood-related residues. Project Leader.
31. Dr. Ludmila Popova is in charge of non-traditional compost research in the Arkhangelsk Region. She will focus on the study of different types and doses of non-traditional organic fertilizers and their influence and after-influence in vegetative and field experiments.
32. Senior Researcher Nadezhda Kondratieva will focus on the study of different types and doses of non-traditional organic fertilizers and their influence and after-influence on berry-fruit plant cultivation on forest land
33. Researcher Tatjana Durkina will focus on compost application on berry-fruit plantations.
34. Researcher Tatijana Lagutina will focus on the study of different types and doses of non-traditional organic fertilizers and their influence and after-influence in vegetative and field experiments.
35. Researcher Irina Yurieva will focus on the study of different types and doses of non-traditional organic fertilizers and their influence and after-influence in vegetative and field experiments.
36. Dr. Sergey Yaroslavtsev will focus on technology of non-traditional organic fertilizers from wood-related residues.

Role in the project

• Development of alternatives to peat substrates in commercial EU horticulture (WP5).
• Tailoring soil conditioners to enhance soil fertility in areas with low soil carbon contents (WP5).
• Integrating and adopting state-of-the-art large scale composting practices (WP5).