Popa Ionel

Senior researcher I, head of the Campulung Moldovenesc Research Section

Research Team Manager (E1)

Areas of interest: dendrochronology, dendroclimatology, dendrometry, climate changes

The main objective of the research team consists in the integration of inter- and multidisciplinary problems specific to dendrometry, forest management, dendrochronology for the long-term ecological research/monitoring of forest ecosystems under the action of various stress factors, mainly climate change and atmospheric pollution.

Within the E1 research team, 4 Senior researchers I, 6 Senior researchers II, 8 Junior researchers, 2 Researchers, 2 Researchers trainee, 3 Technological development engineers, 11 employees work as auxiliary staff.

• Adaptation and resilience to climate change in Carpathian forests. Interspecific approach and at different temporal levels. Program 4 – Basic and Frontier Research, Exploratory Research Project (PCE 2021) (2022-2024)

• Increasing the economic competitiveness of the forestry sector and the quality of life through the transfer of knowledge, technology and CDI skills (CRESFORLIFE), POC Program, Axis 1, Action 1.2.3. (2019-2023)

• Prototyping an Earth-Observation based monitoring and forecasting system for the Romanian forest – EO-ROFORMON, Competitiveness Operational Program 2014-2020, Axis 1, Section E. (2016 –2020)

• Long-term dynamics of the state of representative forest ecosystems in protected areas (LTER Retezat, Bucegi-Piatra Craiului and Lunca Mureșului Natural Park sites) PN 19070101 (2019-2022)

• Monitoring of forest ecosystems in Romania in accordance with the forest surveillance systems adopted at European level (Level I and II), PN 19070102, (2019-2022)

• Research on increasing productivity in the activity of forest management by organizing production and work in relation to the current applied technologies, PN 19070105, (2019-2022)

• Optimizing the system of organization and structural management of forests in order to ensure their sustainable management, PN 19070103 (2019-2022)

• The improvement of the multifunctional long-term ecological research system of the state of some representative forest ecosystems in Romania in order to develop new scientific knowledge on the effects of atmospheric pollution, climate change and other stress factors and their exploitation for decision-making purposes, PN 230901101 (2023-2026 )

• Scientific contributions regarding the foundation of methods and models for establishing the value of ecosystem functions and services provided by forests, adapted to the Romanian system of classification and functional zoning, PN 230901202, (2023-2026)

• New scientific foundations for the development of integrated solutions, models and methods specific to a climate-smart forest management, sustainable and adapted to the socio-economic system, PN 230901201, (2023-2026)

• Nagavciuc, V., Ionita, M., Kern, Z., McCaroll, D., Popa, I., 2022, A ~700 years perspective on the 21st century drying in the eastern part of Europe based on δ18O in tree ring cellulose, Communications Earth & Environment. 3(1):1-12

• Popa, A., Popa, I.,Roiuu, C, Badea, O.N., 2022, Do Different Tree-Ring Proxies Contain Different Temperature Signals? A Case Study of Norway Spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst) in the Eastern Carpathians, Plants. 11(18):2428

• Roibu, C., Nagavciuc, V., Ionita, M., Popa, I.,Horodnic, S., Mursa, A., Buntgen, U., 2022, A tree ring-based hydroclimate reconstruction for eastern Europe reveals large-scale teleconnection patterns, Climate dynamics, 59:2979-2994.

• Popa, A., Popa,I, 2021, Photosynthesis Traits of Pioneer Broadleaves Species from Tailing Dumps in Calimani Mountains (Eastern Carpathians), Forests 12(6):658.

• Sidor, C. G., Vlad, R., Popa, I., Semeniuc, A., Apostol, E., Badea, O., 2021. Impact of industrial pollution on radial growth of conifers in a former mining area in the Eastern Carpathians (Northern Romania). Forests, 12(5), 640.

• Pascu, I. S., Dobre, A. C., Badea, O., Tanase, M. A., 2020. Retrieval of forest structural parameters from terrestrial laser scanning: A Romanian case study. Forests, 11(4), 392.

• Ciceu, A., Popa, I., Leca, S., Pitar, D., Chivulescu, S., Badea, O., 2020. Climate change effects on tree growth from Romanian forest monitoring Level II plots. Science of the Total Environment, 698, 134129.

• Ciceu, A., Bronisz, K., Garcia-Duro, J., Badea, O., 2022. Age-independent diameter increment models for mixed mountain forests. European Journal of Forest Research, 141(5), 781-800.

• García-Duro, J., Ciceu, A., Chivulescu, S., Badea, O., Tanase, M. A., Aponte, C., 2021. Shifts in Forest Species Composition and Abundance under Climate Change Scenarios in Southern Carpathian Romanian Temperate Forests. Forests, 12(11), 1434.

• Ciceu, A., Pitar, D., Badea, O., 2021. Modeling the diameter distribution of mixed uneven-aged stands in the south western Carpathians in Romania. Forests, 12(7), 958