The EuroDendro project - Snow-avalanche frequency and magnitude in European Middle Mountain unravelled by dendrogeomorphological analyses

International audienceThe EuroDendro project (2009-2010) associates French, Icelandic, Norwegian and Romanian researchers to analysethe recurrence of geomorphic dynamics occurring on slopes with a dendrogeomorphological approach. Studysites are located in France (Auvergne), Iceland (Northwestern and Northern Iceland), Norway (Nordfjord) and Romania(South Carpaths Mountains), enabling to investigate various European middle mountain environments anddifferent tree species impacted by similar processes. The aim of the study is to highlight the various responses ofconifers and broad-leaved trees subjected to recurrent snow avalanches in similar cold environments. In a longerperspective, the EuroDendro project aims to analyse natural hazard for local populations in areas with a lack of historicalrecords. The study sites are voluntarily selected outside the Alpine area to represent zones that are scarcelypresent in the international literature, whereas such territories offer great potentialities in a global change context