Quentin Ponette

Quentin PONETTE – classic short curriculum vitae (July, 2025)

Male, Born in Tournai, Belgium, 4^th August 1965 – Belgian Nationality

Full Professor at the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering and permanent researcher at the Earth & Life Institute, UCLouvain, Belgium

Croix du Sud 2 - box L7.05.24 – 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve – Belgium 

Phone: +32 10 47 36 16 – Cell phone: +32 495 28 14 48 – e-mail: quentin.ponette@uclouvain.be

1. Education and positions

• PhD in Agricultural Sciences/Soil Sciences, UCLouvain, 1994, summa cum laude
• Advanced master in tropical and sub-tropical agronomy, UCLouvain, 1989, maxima cum laude
• MSc in Agricultural engineering/Forestry, UCLouvain, 1988, maxima cum laude
• 2018-present: Full Professor of Silviculture and Forest Management, UCLouvain
• 2007-2018: Professor of Silviculture and Forest Management, UCLouvain
• 2002-2007: Associate Professor of Silviculture and Forest Management, UCLouvain
• 1999-2002: Assistant Professor of Silviculture and Forest Management, UCLouvain
• 1998-1999: Postdoc researcher at the Laboratory of Biogeochemistry of Forest Ecosystems, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Nancy, France
• 1996-1997: Researcher at the French forest monitoring network (RENECOFOR), Office National des Forêts – Département des Recherches Techniques, Fontainebleau, France
• 1994-1995: Postdoc researcher at the Laboratory of Biogeochemistry of Forest Ecosystems, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Nancy, France
• 1989-1993: Doctoral fellow of the Institute for Industrial and Agricultural Research (IRSIA), Belgium, Laboratory of Soil Science, UCLouvain

2. Research

Quentin Ponette is co-leading the Forest science team, hosted within the Earth and Life Institute and the Environmental Sciences pole at UCLouvain. His research interests focus on the functioning of forest ecosystems, with a strong focus on the response of trees and stands to resources (e.g. carbon, nutrients, water) and controllers (e.g. light) under local – management driven (e.g. stand density management, tree species composition, tree size distribution) – and global environmental changes (mainly drought). A special emphasis is given to the assessment of long-term fertility under different harvesting and deposition scenarios, to the functioning and impacts of mixed-species stands, to carbon sequestration in forest ecosystems, and to the resilience/stability of forest ecosystems under contrasting scenarios. Various approaches are used: in situ monitoring and manipulation of ecosystems, input-output-budgets, laboratory studies in controlled conditions, ecosystem characterization, process identification, tree ring analysis, modelling. The main disciplines are related to biogeochemistry and functional ecology. His team is in charge of the European long-term forest monitoring network (ICP forests level II plots) in Wallonia.

Key-words: forest ecosystems, biogeochemistry, resources, nutrients, tree species interactions, functional diversity, global change, silviculture, stability/resilience

Projects (ended within the 6 past years, or ongoing)

International

UE-FP7 ERA-NET Sumforest (2017-2019) – Partner – Mixed species forest management. Lowering risk, increasing resilience. REsilience of FORest Mixtures REFORM – 166,880 € (UCL)

UE-Biodiversa+ (2021-2024). – Partners UCLouvain: S. Declerck, Q. Ponette – Mixed Forest plantations for climate Change mitigation and adaptation. MixForChange) – 133,000 € (UCL)

FRQ (Québec)-FNRS (2019-2023) – Promotors: Q. Ponette, M. Jonard (UCLouvain), C. Messier (UQAM/UQO) – ‘Forests in an uncertain context: comparison of contrasting risk management strategies at the local and regional levels’ – 178,793 € (UCL)

INTERREG V A « Grande Région »|UE|SPW (2017–2019) –Partner – Regiowood II. Renforcer la gestion durable en forêt privée au profit de toute la Grande Région et de son patrimoine naturel – 435,651 euros (dont 10% apportés par l’UCL)

INTERREG V A « Grande Région »|UE|SPW (2021-2022) – Partner – ASKAFOR. Des connaissances et compétences adaptées pour des forêts adaptatives – 33,977 € (dont 10% apportés par l’UCL)

Office National des Forêts, ONF, France (2022-2025) – Promotors: Q. Ponette, M. Jonard – Collaboration scientifique pour l’adaptation du réseau RENECOFOR à un suivi de plus long terme et pour son utilisation dans l’amélioration de la modélisation des flux biogéochimiques – 448,085 € HTVA

Office National des Forêts, ONF, France (2024-2025) – Promotor: Q. Ponette – Collaboration scientifique pour le traitement des carottes dendrochronologiques prélevées dans le cadre du projet ALAMOD et des sites RENECOR en fin de cycle sylvicole – 64,059 € HTVA

Administration de la Nature et des Forêts, ANF, Grand Duché de Luxembourg (2019/2020-2021-2023) – Partner / Promotor – Fichier écologique des essences / dépérissement du hêtre au Grand-Duché de Luxembourg – Budget : 103,584 € / 44,681€ - 35,787 € - 72,706 €

National

SHIFT – How does a shift in forest tree species composition affect soil organic carbon storage in ancient forests of Wallonia: site conditions, biotic interactions, and reversibility (to start in October, 2025). Collaborative Research Actions – Funded partners: Q. Ponette (UCLouvain, coordinator), F. De Laender (UNamur); associated partner: M. Carnol (ULiège) – UCLouvain budget: 266,700 €

Global PhD Partnership between KU Leuven and UCLouvain (2021-2025) – Co-promotors: Q. Ponette (UCLouvain), B. Muys (KU Leuven) – Disentangling effects of litter quality and biotic soil regulation on litter decomposition processes in forests of the northern hemisphere using a synthetic community approach

Région Wallonne / Région de Bruxelles-Capitale

SPW-RW|DGARNE-DNF (2014–2019, 2019-2024, 2024-2029) – Accord-Cadre de Recherche et Vulgarisation Forestières – Partners UCL-ELIe: Q. Ponette, C. Vincke – Annual budget: 560,000 €/yr (2014-2024); 627,200 €/yr (2024-2029)

SPW-DEMNA (2019-2024) –– Promotor: Q. Ponette – Réseaux de monitoring forestier ICP Forests ‘Indicateurs état sanitaire des houppiers et facteurs abiotiques’ – Annual budget: 214,900 €/yr

SPW – Plan de Relance de la Wallonie PRW 108 (2023-2024) – Promotor – DIFFERENT: DIversiFication Fonctionnelle des intERfaces forestiers pour augmENTer la résilience – 145,906 € (UCL)

SPW – Plan de Relance de la Wallonie PRW 108 (2023-2024) – Partner – Optimisation d’itinéraires sylvicoles pour la constitution de peuplements mélangés résilients à base de chêne sessile (OPTIMELCHENE) –32,643 € HTVA (UCL)

IBGE-BIM (2018-2021; 2022–2025) – Promotor – Appui scientifique à la campagne d’inventaire sanitaire au sol en forêt de Soignes – 76,519 € (2018-2021); 147,173 € (2022-2025)

Région de Bruxelles Capitale – Innoviris (2023-2025) – Promotors: Q. Ponette, M. Jonard; B. Coolsaet – Soignes 2050 : explorer les futurs possibles pour une forêt résiliente au service de tous les Bruxellois – FOREVER – Budget UCLouvain-ELIe: 375,710 €

PhD and post-doc supervision

- (Co-)promotor of 12 defended PhD theses (M. Jonard [UCL, 2005], F. André [UCL, 2007], O. Baudry [UCL, 2013], T. Belghazi [UCL-ENFI, 2013], J. Ebuy Ali Pade [UNKIS, 2017], B. Cassart [UCL, 2018], A. Vannoppen [KU Leuven, 2018], H. Nickmans [UCL, 2019], G. de Streel [UCL, 2021], R. Osei [UCL, 2022], K. Jacobs [UCL, 2023], C. Guisset [UCL, 2024]) and of 6 ongoing PhD researchers (B. Esoma, T. Halford, J. Lopez, P. Musella, H. Orou, T. Pollet)

- (Co-) supervisor of 9 post-doc researchers (past: E. Andivia, M. Jonard, J. Genon, A. Saenger, P. Vangansbeke, H. Wernsdörfer; currently: F. André, A. Guignabert, H. Titeux)

Publications

H-index of 44 according to Scopus (July, 2025) for a total of 148 documents with 5,669 citations (Orcid ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2726-7392). Full list of publications available at https://dial.uclouvain.be/DialExport/BibliographyForm?site=BOREAL

Networks

- FORBIO / TreeDivNet (http://www.treedivnet.ugent.be/): international network of tree biodiversity experiments, site manager of the FORBIO-Gedinne site

- Cost action FP1206 EuMIXFOR – European Mixed Forests (http://www.mixedforests.eu/): head of WG1 devoted to the functioning and dynamics of mixed forests (finalized)

- Country representative in COST action FP0703 ‘ECHOES - Expected Climate Change and Options for European Silviculture’ (finalized)

Conferences

- Member of the scientific committee of the ReGeFor2023 workshop ‘Complexifier la structure et la composition des forêts pour les adapter au changement du climat et de nos sociétés ?’, 19-21th June 2023, Nancy, France;

- Member of the scientific committee of the conference ‘Integrating Scientific Knowledge in Mixed Forests’, EuMIXFOR Final Conference, 5-7th October 2016, Prague, Czech Republic;

- Member of the scientific committee of the conference ‘Vers une nouvelle synthèse écologique’, Brussels, 6th November 2013.

3. Teaching and other academic activities

Teaching

I am teaching the following bachelor and master courses to students in BioScience Engineering and Biology: - Introductory course in forest sciences (75%), 3^rd BSc; Silviculture (100%), 1^st MSc; Forest ecology and health (25%), 1^st MSc; Forest mensuration and inventory (85%), 1^st MSc- Forest planning and management (100%), 2^nd MSc; Field trip in Forests, natural areas and land use (50%), 2^nd MSc; ‘Carbon budget’ project (25%), 1^st MSc; ‘Forest management and planning’ project (50%), 2^nd MSc

I (co-)supervised 98 completed MSc thesis works. l was involved in the development of several innovative learning tools such as a marteloscope for tree marking and a web site for tree species identification.

I am also Faculty coordinator for the MSc programme ‘Forest and natural areas management’.

Institutional responsibilities at/for UCLouvain

- President of the jury for all academic programmes organized by the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering at UCLouvain;

- Academic head of the MOCA (Mineral & Organic Chemical Analysis) environmental analysis platform;

- Member of the Strategic Committee of the 200-ha university forest (‘Bois de Lauzelle’);

- UCLouvain representative for the management Committee of the ‘Cellule d’Appui à la Petite Forêt Privée – CAPFP Filière Bois Wallonie’ (Small Private Forest Support Unit);

- Formerly, head of the commission in charge of two MSc programmes in bioscience engineering: Forests and Natural Areas Engineering, Environmental Bioengineering.

4. Expertise and reviewing work

- Jury member of 46 PhDs and 8 HDRs (Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches) evaluation committees;

- Jury member of the FNRS / FRIA PhD grant competition;

- Member of the Specialised Scientific Committee (CSS) ‘Agronomie, Elevage, Forêt’, in charge of the evaluation of INRAe researchers in the field ‘Agronomy, breeding, Forest’;

- Member of the Scientific Committee of the French forest monitoring network ‘RENECOFOR’;

- Reviewer for several international journals including: Global Change Biology, Science of the Total Environment, Annals of Forest Science & European Journal of Forest Research;

- Jury member of researchers recruitment committees at UCLouvain and AgroParisTech;

- Former member of the Scientific Committee of the INRA research Department ‘Forest, Grassland and Freshwater Ecology’ (2011–2016);

- Former member of evaluation committee of research teams (UMRs LERFoB & TCEM). 

5. Memberships and public outreach

- Board member of the forest associations: ‘Forêt Nature’ formerly ‘Forêt wallonne’ (2000-present) and ‘Société Royale Forestière de Belgique’ (2014-2018)

- Head (President) of the ‘Centre de Développement AgroForestier’ (CDAF, Chimay)

- (Co-)author of ca. 50 papers in technical forestry journals (‘Forêt–Entreprise’, ‘Forêt.Nature’, ‘Forêt wallonne’, ‘Rendez-Vous Techniques’, ‘Silva Belgica’, etc…);

- Co-organizer of dissemination conferences (e.g.: in relation with the 5-year project ‘Accord-cadre de recherches et de vulgarisation forestières’, organization of three final conferences in Namur/Wépion (Belgium) in January 2005 /January 2009 / January 2014).

H-index of 44 according to Scopus (July, 2025) for a total of 148 documents with 5,669 citations (Orcid ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2726-7392)

Teaching and other academic activities

Teaching

Quentin Ponette is teaching the following bachelor and master courses to students in BioScience Engineering and Biology: Introductory course in forest sciences (75%), 3^rd BSc; Silviculture (100%), 1^st MSc; Forest ecology and health (25%), 1^st MSc; Forest mensuration and inventory (85%), 1^st MSc; Forest planning and management (100%), 2^nd MSc; Field trip in Forests, natural areas and land use (50%), 2^nd MSc; ‘Carbon budget’ project (25%), 1^st MSc; ‘Forest management and planning’ project (50%), 2^nd MSc

He has been (co-)supervisor of 98 completed MSc thesis works and was involved in the development of several innovative learning tools such as a marteloscope for tree marking and a web site for tree species identification.

He is also Faculty coordinator for the MSc programme ‘Forest and natural areas management’

Institutional responsibilities at/for UCLouvain

- President of the jury for all academic programmes organized by the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering at UCLouvain;

- Academic head of the MOCA (Mineral & Organic Chemical Analysis) environmental analysis platform;

- Member of the Strategic Committee of the 200-ha university forest (‘Bois de Lauzelle’);

- UCLouvain representative for the management Committee of the ‘Cellule d’Appui à la Petite Forêt Privée – CAPFP Filière Bois Wallonie’ (Small Private Forest Support Unit);

- Formerly, head of the commission in charge of two MSc programmes in bioscience engineering: Forests and Natural Areas Engineering, Environmental Bioengineering.