Originally from co. Kildare, Professor Ken Byrne has always had a keen interest in soils and land use. He began his academic journey at University College Dublin (UCD), earning a BAgrSc in Forestry in 1992. His love for this scientific field led him to stay on at UCD, where he pursued a PhD in Forest Soils under the guidance of the esteemed Prof. Ted Farrell. Ken completed his PhD in 1999, and his dedication was recognized with the prestigious Bord na Móna Newman Scholarship.
In 2004, Ken took his talents to University College Cork (UCC), where he excelled as a Post-Doctoral Fellow until 2008. Since then, he has been a valued member of the University of Limerick (UL) community. Currently, Ken is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and a proud member of the Bernal Institute.
Ken’s research on carbon stocks and greenhouse gas exchange in forest and peatland ecosystems has earned him national and international acclaim. His expertise has contributed to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the International Science Policy Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Notably, Ken was part of the IPCC team honoured with the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.
Forests are generally considered to be carbon sinks i.e. they sequester carbon from the atmosphere. As such forests help to mitigate the greenhouse gas emissions which cause climate change. However, peatland forests are sources of soil carbon. Through his PhD research, Ken was one of the first people to study carbon cycling in Irish forests (doi:10.1093/forestry/cpi020). More recent work in Ken’s research group (doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15654), found that carbon emissions from forested peat soils are three times higher than previously reported. This research means that our assessment of the net carbon sequestration capacity of peatland forests is lower than previously understood. This data informed Ireland’s national climate action policy, influencing national strategy on mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and peatland management.
This work drew attention to the importance of peatland forests in the national greenhouse gas inventory and to our limited understanding of carbon dynamics in peatland forests. PeatFor responds to this knowledge deficit, with the scale of the award reflecting the magnitude of the challenge PeatFor will address. In collaboration with colleagues in UCD, TCD and Teagasc, and with support from Coillte, Ken and his team will establish a network of targeted field experiments. These will deliver empirical knowledge of carbon cycling and biodiversity in peatland forests. This will inform climate change policy and the sustainable management of peatland forests.
PeatFor was one of 21 new projects launched in Farmleigh on 9th July 2024 by Martin Heydon, T.D., Minister of State in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with Special Responsibility for Research and Development, Farm Safety, and New Market Development. Martin Heydon remarked:
“This investment builds on the first tranche of projects that received funding last December. Taken together, these represent an overall investment of €46 million, the largest ever from a research call run by my department.
“This investment will help equip the Irish agriculture, food, forest and bioeconomy sectors with the science and technology they need to become even more sustainable and competitive into the future.”
Ken comments, “The launch was a great opportunity to present PeatFor to the Minister, officials from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, members of the research community, policy makers and media.”
Ken’s journey from County Kildare to becoming a respected voice in environmental science is a testament to his dedication and passion for the natural world.