Our History

The International Union of Forestry Research Stations was founded in August 1892 in Eberswalde, Germany. The statutes of the new Union were adopted by the German Union of Forestry Research Stations, as well as the Swiss and Austrian Forestry Experimental Stations. A year later, the first Congress was held in Vienna with 17 delegates from five countries.

Before World War I, forestry research institutions in Belgium, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, Russia, and Hungary had joined IUFRO. During the war, international cooperation stopped. After the war, it took more than ten years before the Union was able to fully resume its activities.

In 1929, new statutes for the re-establishment of the Union were adopted at the VII International Congress of IUFRO in Stockholm, Sweden. The Union was renamed “International Union of Forestry Research Organizations” to reflect the broadened base of activities envisaged for the future.

After the war, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) was established under the auspices of the United Nations. IUFRO resisted plans to be incorporated into FAO and in 1949, FAO guaranteed the continued independence of IUFRO and offered to host a IUFRO secretariat at its own Headquarters in Rome.

At the Congress in Rome in 1953, the Union could once again boast more than 100 members. In the 1950s IUFRO publications included outlines for permanent sample plot investigations, the standardization of site records, rules for the international control of forest seed and standardization for the classification of forestry literature. 

This was a period of steady and successful development. The XV IUFRO World Congress in Gainesville, USA, in 1971 was the first Congress held outside Europe, and the first to be referred to as a "World Congress". In 1973 IUFRO accepted the offer of the Republic of Austria to host a permanent secretariat in Vienna.

The XVII IUFRO World Congress held in Kyoto, Japan, in 1981 was the first Congress held outside of the Western hemisphere. The Congress emphasized the importance of strengthening forestry research in tropical regions and developing countries, which led to the establishment of the Programme for Development of Capacities (SPDC) in 1983.

At the XIX World Congress in Montréal, Canada, in August 1990 under the theme "Science in Forestry: IUFRO´s Second Century" Dr. Salleh Mohd. Nor was elected as the first IUFRO President from outside Europe and North America. IUFRO proudly celebrated its 100th birthday in 1992 at its birthplace in Eberswalde, Germany.

To cope with the many changes affecting forests and forestry, new national and international institutions and mechanisms have arisen. IUFRO adapted its scientific structure, established new Task Forces and initiatives, and increased inter-disciplinary interaction. In 2000, the word "Forestry" in the name of IUFRO was changed to "Forest" to reflect the broader thematic scope of the Union.

The environment in which IUFRO operated was evolving significantly. Interdisciplinary and policy-relevant forest research had greater potential to attract political and financial support both nationally and internationally. IUFRO aimed to strengthen partnerships and collaborations and started active participation in UNFCCC, for example. In 2007 the foundation for the "Global Forest Expert Panels" (GFEP) was laid.

Research became more complex and many of the issues affecting forests could not (and still cannot) be solved by the forest sector alone. Global issues such as climate change moved higher up on the international policy agenda. Despite an increasingly fragmented international forest-related institutional landscape, IUFRO's membership remained relatively stable, reflecting the continued relevance of the network.