The Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF) conducts research and designs new conceptual and methodological tools in the field of terrestrial ecology, in particular forest ecology, in order to improve environmental planning and management in rural and urban areas. Preventing forest fires, the sustainable use of environmental resources and conserving biodiversity at a time of global change are some of the most important challenges that the centre aims to tackle.
Its activities include research into the functioning and diversity of ecosystems and how to deal with disturbances to such systems, and into environmental problems that can affect how they work, such as changes in land use or atmospheric and climate change. The centre also develops tools to aid decision-making and facilitate sustainable resource management.