Chair of Soil Ecology

Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources

Chair of Soil Ecology

Abkürzung der Fakultät für Umwelt und Natürliche Ressourcen "unr" in der Farbe sand auf grünem, kreisförmigen Hintergrund

At the Chair of Soil Ecology, we work on the interactions between plants, soil organisms and the abiotic components of soils, especially in forests. In research and teaching, we deal with soil science fundamentals as well as application-oriented issues that arise from changing environmental conditions for the soil ecosystem and have consequences for the sustainable management of soils and soil protection.

News

Soil of the year

2026: Archive Soil

On the annual World Soil Day, December 5, the Soil of the Year for the following year is presented at a ceremony in Berlin. The “Soil of the Year” committee of the German Soil Science Society (DBG) and the German Soil Association (BVB) make the selection.

With the Archive soil being named Soil of the Year 2026 at the Hessen State Representation in Berlin, this special function as an archive of natural and cultural history is coming into the public spotlight.

Conferences 2026

EGU General Assembly
May, 3 – 8
Vienna, Austria

International Symposium on
Soil Organic Matter
May, 25 – 29
Sao Paulo, Brasilia

BE20 – Emerging Topics in Long-Term and Large-Scale Biodiversity Research
June, 8 – 12
Berlin, Germany

International Symposium on
Microbial Ecology
August, 16 – 21
Auckland, New Zealand

University of São Paulo, Brasilien

10th International Symposium on
Soil Organic Matter (SOM 2026)

This year’s SOM 2026 was held under the theme “The Nexus of Healthy Soils and a Sustainable Future.” The conference focused on the role of soil organic matter and its importance for climate protection, soil health, and sustainable land use. With scientists from 32 countries, the conference served as an important platform for exchanging ideas and discussing healthy soils and a sustainable future together.
Lilian Benz presented her project in her talk 30 Years of Carbon Stability – SOC Dynamics in the Pfälzerwald and Bienwald, as did Julian Brzozon with his poster Controls of soil respiration in a mixed forest.

Research

Our research focus and current projects

Teaching

Our courses and information about theses

Our Team

Introduction of our team members with contact details

Research Group ForestFloor

Functionality, Dynamics and Vulnerability in Change (DFG FOR 5315)

Forest floors can store large quantities of CO₂, they nourish special biotic communities and can have a decisive influence on the vitality and stability of forests. The influence of climate change on this soil layer, which is central to forest soils and extremely sensitive to environmental changes, is being investigated by this international research group.

Cluster of Excellence “Future Forests”

From January 1, 2026, the DFG will fund the Cluster of Excellence “Future Forests”!

The adaptation of complex social-ecological systems to global change is the subject of a Cluster of Excellence Initiative at the German Research Foundation. The aim of the cluster initiative is to develop, analyse and evaluate transformation pathways towards resilient forest-based social-ecological systems, their governance, management and use. The head of the Chair, Fritzi Lang, is one of the co-spokespersons of the cluster initiative.