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Membership of IUFRO is open to any institution concerned with the promotion, support or conduct of research related to forests, trees and forest products.
Description
Significant changes within the IUFRO HQ management team came into effect at the beginning of this year: Michael Kleine supports IUFRO as Senior Advisor; Andre Purret is appointed Deputy Executive Director; transition of Janice Burns to IUFRO-SPDC Coordinator.
Michael Kleine supports IUFRO as Senior Advisor
Michael Kleine transferred his two leadership roles as IUFRO Deputy Executive Director and SPDC Coordinator to Andre Purret and Janice Burns, respectively, but continues to support the work of IUFRO as Senior Advisor. IUFRO will thus be able to benefit further from his outstanding scientific expertise, profound experience in international development cooperation, and exceptional leadership and managerial skills.
In his new role as Senior Advisor, he will advise, among other things, on areas of strategic focus and prioritization for IUFRO’s activities, on the development and implementation of partnerships and joint activities with other organizations, and on strategic financial planning, donor relations and resource mobilization.
Michael Kleine, who holds Masters, Doctoral and Habilitation degrees from the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, Austria, served as the Coordinator of IUFRO’s Special Programme for Development of Capacities (IUFRO-SPDC) from 2001 until the end of 2024. During his tenure, IUFRO-SPDC developed into a comprehensive capacity development program that includes training workshops, thematic networking activities and a Scientist Assistance Programme.
In 2010, Michael Kleine was appointed as IUFRO’s Deputy Executive Director, a position that he held in addition to his role as SPDC Coordinator. In this capacity, he provided outstanding support to IUFRO on virtually all major strategic and operational dimensions of IUFRO.
Andre Purret is appointed Deputy Executive Director
Andre Purret, the new Deputy Executive Director of IUFRO, is an Estonian national and holds a Master’s degree in Forest Management. Prior to the current position, he worked as IUFRO HQ Operations Manager and Project Manager for the Global Forest Expert Panels (GFEP) initiative. He joined IUFRO HQ in October 2014 as the second holder of the IFSA/IUFRO Joint Position.
In addition to providing general assistance to the Executive Director and supporting him in IUFRO strategic planning, change management, organizational processes, budget coordination/monitoring and compliance, he is the focal point for IUFRO’s governing bodies and World Congresses.
Transition of Janice Burns to IUFRO-SPDC Coordinator
Janice Burns, the new Coordinator of IUFRO-SPDC, is a Canadian national and holds a Master’s degree in European Forestry. She joined the IUFRO Headquarters team in Vienna in February 2016 as Junior Professional Officer and third holder of the IFSA/IUFRO Joint Position and more recently served as Deputy Coordinator of IUFRO-SPDC.
Janice Burns also holds the position of Partnerships and Initiatives Coordinator at IUFRO, where she plays an active role in building and maintaining relationships with IUFRO’s partners. Janice has experience in various regions of the world with specializations ranging from remote sensing and fire management to forest landscape restoration, forest education and wood policy. She formerly held roles as a professional wildland firefighter and aviation coordinator in Canada.
By sharing leadership responsibilities and embracing generational change in this way, the IUFRO HQ team is well-prepared to serve and strengthen the global network of forest science and contribute to positive change amidst multiple crises that forests, science and people are facing.