Hyungwoo Lim

As an ecophysiologist, I emphasize identifying connections across scales and approaches: from a leaf to a landscape; from theory and mechanisms to observations and projections.

I design and conduct experiments across multiple scales to generate new datasets and identify mechanisms, thereby advancing current process-based models for broad applications.

One of my current interests is to determine how soil nutrient status (chemical forms and dynamics) and water fluxes (soil supply and atmospheric demand) interact to influence forest carbon cycles and forest growth. The ultimate goal is to develop a precision forest fertilization model that optimizes where, when, and how fertilization is applied to balance forest productivity, biodiversity, and other competing ecosystem services.

Silviculture: the science of stand management (Master level)

Ecophysiological concepts and applications in forests (PhD level)

Current projects

Is boreal soil carbon getting younger? – Using historical samples to advance predictions of soil carbon transit time under rising atmospheric CO2 levels Vetenskapsrådet (2025–2028; 4 400 000 SEK, starting grant) project leader: Hyungwoo Lim

Quantifying the role of transpiration in soil nitrogen acquisition: Is really transpiration “inevitable evil” for plant growth? Kempestiftelserna (2025–2026; 1 100 000 SEK) project leader: Hyungwoo Lim

Will forest fertilization benefit carbon sequestration in the future climate? Åforsk (2024–2025; 1 126 100 SEK) project leader: Hyungwoo Lim

Tree branch mortality: measurement, scaling, and simulation of an overlooked carbon flux with implications for carbon storage Kempestiftelserna (2024–2026; 1 400 000 SEK) project leader: Hyungwoo Lim, participating researcher: Dr. Kenneth Olofsson

Nutrient Optimization Fertilization: Can the enhanced forest nutrition and production be sustained? Anna och Håkanssons Stiftelse (2024–2025; 100 000 SEK) project leader: Hyungwoo Lim

Långsiktigt kvarvarande markeffekter av tidigare intensiv gödsling i ung tallskog Skogssällskapet (2024–2025; 181 383 SEK) project leader:Dr. Bengt Olsson, participating researcher: Dr. Riitta Hyvönen, Hyungwoo Lim

Past

Linking nitrogen and water – spatiotemporally optimizing forest fertilization for balancing forest productivity and ecosystem services. Formas (2021–2024; 4 467 189 SEK, mobility grant) project leader: Hyungwoo Lim

Managing boreal soil carbon stock in a changing climate: Does increasing CO2 concentration reduce boreal soil carbon accumulation capacity? Kempestiftelserna (2022–2024; 1 100 000 SEK) project leader: Hyungwoo Lim, participating researcher: Dr. Nils Henriksson

The impact of bark beetle outbreaks on forest carbon accumulation SLU Stiftelsen Fonden (2022–2023; 120 000 SEK) project leader: Hyungwoo Lim, participating researcher: Dr. Nils Henriksson

Researcher. Feb 2021-Current, SLU Umeå

Visiting researcher, Apri 2022-Mar 2024 University of Tartu, Estonia; International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Austria

Postdoc in Silviculture, Jan 2018-Jan 2020 SLU Umeå 
Supervisor: Prof. Tomas Lundmark (SLU)

PhD in Biology (Ecophysiology), Dec 2017 SLU Umeå 
Supervisors: Prof. Torgny Näsholm (SLU); Prof. Ram Oren (Duke Univ.)

Postdocs

Main supervision:

Daun Ryu (2024-)

Gwangjung Kim (2024-)

Co-supervision:

Jasmin Danzberger (2023- , main supervisor: Nils Henriksson)

PhD Students

Co-supervision:

Ratchanon Ampornpitak (2025-, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, main: Prof. Pantana Tor-ngern)

Alexina Brännlund (2023- , SLU, main: Nils Henriksson)

P Fransson, H Lim, P Zhao et al. 2025. An eco-physiological model of forest photosynthesis and transpiration under combined nitrogen and water limitation. Tree Physiol

H Lim, D Medvigy, A Mäkelä et al. 2024. Overlooked branch turnover creates a widespread bias in forest carbon accounting. PNAS

*G Baek, *H Lim, NJ Noh, C Kim. 2023. No impact of nitrogen fertilization on carbon sequestration in a temperate Pinus densiflora forest. Scientific Reports *Equal contribution

H Lim, S Jämtgård, R Oren et al. 2022. Organic nitrogen enhances nitrogen nutrition and early growth of Pinus sylvestris seedlings. Tree Physiol

N Henriksson, H Lim, JD Marshall et al. 2021. Tree water uptake enhances nitrogen acquisition in a fertilized boreal forest – but not under nitrogen‐poor conditions. New Phytol 

H Lim, CA Alvares, MG Ryan, D Binkley. 2020. Assessing the cross-site and within-site response of potential production to atmospheric demand for water in Eucalyptus plantations. For Ecol Manag

H Lim, R Oren, T Näsholm et al. 2019. Boreal forest biomass accumulation is not increased by two decades of soil warming. Nature Climate Change