in memoriam - Prof. Emil Klimo (1930-2016)
Professor Klimo headed the Department of Soil Science and Geology at the Faculty of Forestry Mendel University in Brno (former Agicultural University), Czech Republic for many years and since 1970, he has participated in the development of the newly arising Department for International Biological Programme, predecessor of the current Institute of Forest Ecology, a workplace where he was active as a deputy head and later as its head.
As to his teaching activities at the Faculty of Forestry, Professor Klimo lectured on the subject of Forest Soil Science and participated in the teaching as part of postgraduate studies. He was also external lecturer at the Faculty of Science, Masaryk University in Brno, and visiting professor at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU).
He was involved in the development and implementation of the flagship research projects at the Institute of Forest Ecology that were focused on biogeochemical cycling and soil processes in spruce ecosystems of lower vegetation zones and floodplain forest. In addition, his activities were important in the international arena with regard to IUFRO, the European Forest Institute in Joensuu, and in the bilateral cooperation with the universities of Zagreb, Freiburg, Munich, Vienna, Tharandt, Uppsala, Aas, Moscow and many other places in the world.
During his work in the academic sphere, Prof Klimo published more than 100 research papers in journals and conference proceedings nationally and abroad, defended over 30 final research projects and developed a wide range of expertise and recommendations for forestry practice. His most important contributions to science include the involvement in the compilation of a two-part book monograph on floodplain forests published in cooperation of the publishing houses of Academia, Prague, and Elsevier, the Netherlands, in 1985 and 1991, the monograph entitled Floodplain Forests of the Temperate Zone of Europe, and a number of other internationally acclaimed books on the studies of spruce culture ecosystems in Europe (Norway Spruce-Conversion Options and Spruce Monocultures in Central Europe).
In addition to his extensive scientific work, Prof. Klimo was active in the editorial boards of several international journals, in IUBS, IUSS and will forever remain in our memories as honorary member of the Czech Soil Science Society.
