The XXVI World Congress of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations IUFRO, held in Stockholm, Sweden, on 23-29 June 2024, brought together 4271 delegates from 102 countries. Under the title "Forests and Society towards 2050", it provided a global forum for the exchange of knowledge, perspectives, and visions between scientists across a broad spectrum of disciplines, and dialogue with youth, policy makers, forest managers, business representatives, and civil society organizations.

This was the first major global in-person meeting of IUFRO after the pandemic and the enthusiasm about the possibility of face-to-face exchange added to the vibrancy and vigor of this largest Congress ever in the history of IUFRO. In addition to record participation, this Congress brought other important firsts, including the first female IUFRO President and the first Congress on the African continent to be held in 2029. Both these novelties mirror the enhanced gender and geographical balance witnessed at this Congress, which also boasts a large youth participation.

Watch this video and hear from participants about their expectations and Hope for the Future of the Forest Sector!

The Opening and Closing ceremonies of the Congress as well as the Tree Planting Ceremony and other high-level events were honored by the presence of many eminent and honorable guests.

His Majesty, Carl XVI Gustaf, King of Sweden delivered an opening speech calling for a deeper understanding of the role of forests in society and in mitigating climate change.
Click here to find out more!

The local host organization SLU
The Nordic and Baltic partners
The City of Stockholm
Donors and supporters (Visit the Congress website)
The Congress Organizing Committee COC
The Congress Scientific Committee CSC
The Congress Secretariat together with all their technical, logistical, excursion and other partners
Communication partners including GLF and IFSA
IUFRO partner organizations including UNFF, FAO, CIFOR-ICRAF, EFI, IFSA and many, many others
IUFRO Headquarters
IUFRO officeholders, and last but certainly not least:
Speakers, presenters, moderators and participants!

Thank you all for your commitment, input and great work!

"An equitable, healthy and prosperous future for humanity will depend on diverse, productive and resilient forests and associated ecosystems, including sustainable agricultural systems," said IUFRO President Dr. John Parrotta, US Forest Service. "To realize such a future, immediate and coordinated action is required to effectively deal with the drivers and impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss, deforestation, land degradation, and pollution." This is a core message of the Stockholm Congress Statement, the outcome document of the Congress.

"The forest science community can be relied upon to provide the solid knowledge base needed by decision-makers at all levels - from individual citizens to governments - to evaluate the benefits, risks and trade-offs related to forest- and other land-based commodity production options, consumption choices and policies across sectors," Dr. Parrotta emphasized.

Dr. Elena Paoletti of CNR IRET, Italy, and Chair of the Congress Scientific Committee, summed up the call for action, "The Congress specifically urges decisionmakers, forest managers and business experts to make best use of the knowledge and recommendations of the global science community to: Strengthen forest resilience and climate adaptation; Maintain and enhance the social values of forests for sustainable societies; Expand the role of forests and forest products in a responsible circular bioeconomy; and Transform forest-related sciences for the future. Action at all levels in line with these messages can contribute to maintaining a stable planet that continues to support life and human well-being."

The Stockholm Congress Statement is available in English, French, German and Spanish!

Also read the Nordic and Baltic contribution to the Stockholm Congress Statement!

Browse the Congress website full of amazing impressions, great photos and videos, bustling activities, and, most importantly, the ca. 3500 presentations and posters! Visit the Congress landing page on the IUFRO website for more!

Watch IUFRO Congress TV with exciting episodes and in-depth interviews with Congress speakers, IUFRO officeholders, award winners, representatives of stakeholder groups and more!

Listen to Elena Paoletti and Fredrik Ingemarson, Chairs of the Congress Scientific Committee and Congress Organizing Committee, respectively, as they introduce the themes of each day! 

Listen to IUFRO President John Parrotta in a talk titled "From Research to Societal Impact".

As of 30 June 2024, IUFRO has a new President and Board. The Board for the 2024-2029 term will be significantly more balanced in terms of gender and regional/cultural representation and led by the first female President in IUFRO's 132-year history. Dr. Daniela Kleinschmit, Professor of Forest and Environmental Policy at Albert-Ludwig University of Freiburg, Germany, succeeds Dr. John Parrotta from the US Forest Service, who has been IUFRO President since 2019. She has been in academic leadership positions since 2016 and her areas of expertise are forest policy, bioeconomy, policy integration, participation and political communication.

"Strengthening global interconnectedness of excellent forest sciences and at the same time acknowledging local knowledge as well as different perspectives and priorities are among the main aims of IUFRO for the next five years," says Daniela Kleinschmit. "To be a vibrant global network offering forest-knowledge-based solutions in times of high global complexities it is necessary to further broaden perspectives from forest-centered to forest-related challenges. Motivating researchers in early phases of their academic careers and fostering the inclusion of researchers that have so far been underrepresented in IUFRO are prerequisite for keeping IUFRO fit for the future," she underlines.

Listen to the new IUFRO President Daniela Kleinschmit HERE!

The 27th IUFRO World Congress 2029 will bring the event to the African continent for the first time and will take place in Nairobi, Kenya, hosted by the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI).

The theme of the Congress is "Advancing Global Partnerships in Forestry Research and Development". The collaborative effort to bring the Congress to Kenya involves the Kenya Government, African Union Commission, KEFRI, Kenya Forest Service, CIFOR-ICRAF, African Forest Forum, FORNESSA, Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa Economic Block (CCARDESA), Lake Victoria Basin Commission and Forestry Research Institutes in Ethiopia, Uganda and Tanzania, among many others, thus highlighting the commitment to global forestry partnerships.

Voting Board
President: Daniela Kleinschmit, Germany
Vice-President Divisions: Woodam Chung, USA
Vice-President Task Forces: Elena Paoletti, Italy
Immediate Past President: John Parrotta, USA

Division 1: Teresa Fonseca, Portugal
Division 1: Pil Sun Park, Korea
Division 2: Amanda De La Torre, USA
Division 2: Santiago C. González-Martínez, France
Division 3: Ola Lindroos, Sweden
Division 3: Rene Zamora-Cristales, Sweden
Division 4: Donald Hodges, USA
Division 4: Bianca Eskelson, Canada
Division 5: Roger Meder, Australia
Division 5: Franka Brüchert, Germany
Division 6: Purabi Bose, Sweden
Division 6: Justin Morgenroth, New Zealand
Division 7: Tod Ramsfield, Canada
Division 7: Maartje Klapwijk, Sweden
Division 8: Alexia Stokes, France
Division 8: Chabi Djagoun, Benin
Division 9: Jinlong Liu, China
Division 9: Mónica Gabay, Argentina

President's Nominee: Marilyn Combalicer, Philippines
President's Nominee: Sandra Rodriguez-Pineros, Mexico
President's Nominee: Lijuan Cui, China
President's Nominee: Wubalem Tadesse Wondifraw, Ethiopia
President's Nominee: tbd
Host country representative: Elfriede Moser, Austria

Non-Voting Board
Executive Director: Alexander Buck, Austria
Coordinators of Special Programmes and Projects
SPDC: Michael Kleine, Austria
SciPol: Nelson Grima, Austria
WFSE: Pia Katila, Finland

World Congress 2029
COC Chair: Jane Njuguna, Kenya
CSC Chair: Ernest Foli, Ghana

Observers to the Board
FAO: Zhimin Wu, China
IFSA President: Isabelle Claire Dela Paz, Philippines
IFSA Liaison: Agustín Rosello, Chile

The XXVI IUFRO World Congresses offered an opportunity to honor outstanding scientific achievements and contributions to forestry with a range of IUFRO Awards. With the exception of the IUFRO World Congress Host Scientific Awards, all awardees are diligently selected by the IUFRO Honours and Awards Committee led by Elena Paoletti.

The Honorary Membership is IUFRO's highest award and acknowledges persons who have rendered particularly important and outstanding services to IUFRO. Congratulations to:

Michael WINGFIELD, South Africa
Björn HÅNELL, Sweden

The IUFRO Distinguished Service Award (DSA) recognizes those whose work has substantially contributed to furthering the scientific, technical, and organizational aims of IUFRO. Congratulations to:

Mauro AGNOLETTI, Italy
Max KROTT, Germany
Elisabeth JOHANN, Austria
Gun LIDESTAV, Sweden

Learn more at: https://iufro2024.com/honorary-awards/

The IUFRO World Congress Host Award honors three outstanding scientists from the host countries who have elevated the profile of forest science and research. One of the awardees is from Sweden, one from the other Nordic countries, and one from the Baltic countries. Find out more HERE!

Jan STENLID, Sweden
Liisa TYRVÄINEN, Finland
Algirdas AUGUSTAITIS, Lithuania

Read the Special Congress Awards issue of IUFRO News and find out who received IUFRO Scientific Achievement Awards (SAA), IUFRO Outstanding Doctoral Research Award (ODRA), and IUFRO Student Award for Excellence in Forest Science (ISA).

The IUFRO Best Poster Awards (BPA) aim to encourage public dissemination of high-quality research and to recognize distinguished poster presentations made at IUFRO World Congresses. The 2024 winners were selected during the Congress per IUFRO Division, Task Force and Congress Theme.

Division 1
Julio Salas-Rabaza, Mexico
Mareike Mohr, Germany
Byambadorj Ser-Oddamba, Mongolia

Division 2
Jorge Pallares-Zazo, Spain
Cesare Garosi, Italy
Cheng-Yun Lai, Japan

Division 3
Carlos Guadaño-Peyrot, Spain
Heli Kymäläinen, Finland

Division 4
Julia Konic, Austria
Andreea Spinu, Germany
Florian Schnabel, Germany

Division 5
Atte Koskivaara, Finland
Cleo (Timokleia) Orfanidou, Finland
Felipe Corrêa Ribeiro, Brazil

Division 6
Andrea Viviano, Italy
Diana Carolina Huertas Bernal, Czech Republic

Division 7
Clement Naabeh, Ghana
Ginna Marcela Granados Benavides, Colombia
Marius Rehanek, Germany

Division 8
Ramona Werner, Austria
Myo Min Latt South, Korea
Jacopo Manzini, Italy

Division 9
Yulan Sun, China
Alessandra Giolo, Sweden

Congress theme 1 - Strengthening forest resilience and adaptation to stress
Kirsten Krüger, Germany
Chiara Zabeo, Italy
Andrei Popa, Romania

Congress theme 2 - Towards a responsible forest bioeconomy
Diana Carolina Huertas Bernal, Czech Republic
Ana Patricia Cubas Baez, United States
Grace Jones, Ireland

Congress theme 3 - Forest biodiversity and its ecosystem services
Yoba Alenga, Congo, Democratic Republic of the (the Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Oulimata Diatta, Senegal
Yue Ren, China

Congress theme 4 - Forests for sustainable societies
John Benrich Zuniga, Philippines
Dadele S. Grâce Vicentia D., Benin
Madisen Fuller, United States

Congress theme 5 - Forests for the future
Yasutaka Nakata, Japan
Georgios Arseniou, United States

Joint IUFRO-IFSA Task Force on Forest Education
Jilian Princess Bathan, Philippines
Elena Marra, Italy

TF Monitoring Global Tree Mortality Patterns and Trends
Marco Baldo, Sweden
Julius Willig, Germany

TF Forests and Water Interactions in a Changing Environment
Manisha Singh, India
Sara Gabriela Cerón Aguilera, Mexico

TF Gender Equality in Forestry
Emerson Soldado, Brazil
Ana Luiza Violato Espada, Brazil

TF Resilient Planted Forests Serving Society & Bioeconomy
Tumaini Hatangi Yves, Congo, Democratic Republic of the (Zaire)
Riziki Mwadalu, Kenya
TF Unlocking the Bioeconomy and Non-Timber Forest Products
Ricardo Vargas Carpintero, Germany
Hannah Bays, United States
Juan Pablo Rodriguez Garavito, Colombia

TF Transforming Forest Landscapes for Future Climates and Human Well-Being
Shibire Bekele Eshetu, Germany
Yasong Guo, Hong Kong
Anna Karlsson, Sweden

News from IUFRO's Special Programme for Development of Capacities

A total of 106 scientists from 47 different countries supported by the IUFRO-SPDC Scientist Assistance Programme joined over 4000 delegates and tapped into forest science and related topics at the XXVI IUFRO World Congress in Stockholm, Sweden.

About half of those 106 early- and mid-career scientists also participated in the Pre-Congress Training that took place the week before the Congress. The objective of these workshops was to enhance essential skills for generating high-quality research results and effectively transferring scientific knowledge to policy and practice. Participants joined the Research Methods in Forest Science, Systematic Evidence Evaluation in Forest Science, and Science-Society Interactions: Making Science Work for Policy and Practice courses.

IUFRO-SPDC also had an exhibition space focused on its work on Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) with examples from around the world. Visitors met and shared experiences and insights about capacity building in FLR on technical approaches, multi-stakeholder processes, facilitation training, mentorship, curricula and teaching methods. Four sessions took place during the lunch breaks addressing FLR facilitation, governance, implementation, and restoration education with short presentations complemented by discussions and networking.

This included a presentation of the Resilient Future Forests Laboratory (RFFL) global network of demonstration and research plots, where they presented the recently published Guidebook for establishing such plots. Visitors participated also in an FLR Networking Bingo game, adding an element of fun and engagement to the networking and learning experience.

Different projects had also posters on display, printed and digital publications, and a tour with virtual reality goggles of an integrated landscape management with agroforestry projects. Two of the new IUFRO-SPDC supported publications, namely, the Global Teak Resources and Market Assessment 2022 and the Human Dimensions of Forest Landscape Restoration, took the Innovation Stage and were presented by their lead authors.

All this would not have been possible without the support of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Regions and Water Management, the USDA Forest Service, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, the National Institute of Forest Science of the Republic of Korea, the Audemars-Watkins Foundation and FORMAS (the Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development).

Watch this video about SPDC activities at IUFRO2024!

News from IUFRO's Science-Policy Programme (SciPol)

After more than 13 years heading first the Global Forest Expert Panels (GFEP) Programme and then its successor, the Science-Policy Programme, Christoph Wildburger steps down from his position as Coordinator of the program. Christoph will now share his extensive expertise and experience in his new role as Senior Advisor and provide strategic advice on science-policy interaction and communication to IUFRO.

To ensure a smooth transition and the continuity of the program and its successful outcomes, the role of Coordinator of the Science-Policy Programme is now assumed by Nelson Grima, who was until end of June Deputy Coordinator of the same program. We wish them both success in their new roles in IUFRO.

Nelson holds a PhD in Social Ecology from the Alpen-Adria University (Austria), a double degree MSc in European Forestry from the University of Eastern Finland and the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), and two degrees (MSc and BSc) in Forest Engineering from the University of Lleida (Spain). Nelson has a wide experience working in multicultural and multidisciplinary teams and projects. He grew up in Spain and studied and worked in Poland, Mexico, Sweden, Finland, Austria, Switzerland, and the United States.

At the IUFRO Congress, the Science-Policy Programme (SciPol) organized two sub-plenary sessions.

On Thursday, 27th of June 2024, the session "International Forest Governance: A Comprehensive Global Review" provided a unique opportunity to present and discuss the findings of the recently launched IUFRO study "International Forest Governance: A critical review of trends, drawbacks, and new approaches".Prof. Daniela Kleinschmit, main lead author of the study and incoming IUFRO president, highlighted the steadily increasing complexity of international forest governance and called on decisionmakers to recognize and counteract the "climatization" discourse dominating other needs and goals and consider more people-sensitive approaches. Complimenting this global perspective, Nathalie Faure shared the findings from the recently launched "Assessment of forest governance in six Asian countries", presenting stakeholder perceptions on the evolution of forest governance.
On Friday, 28th of June 2024, the session "Forest Governance in Regions – A Stakeholder Dialogue" zoomed into the regions seeking to improve the understanding of regional forest governance needs, challenges and solutions.

By bringing together diverse perspectives from major regional stakeholders and experts from the scientific and indigenous communities, the discussion allowed digging deeper into challenges concerning connecting regional policies with global forest related processes and regional impacts of the "climatization" discourse. Panelists highlighted the many regional initiatives underway to improve sustainable forest management, while also emphasizing the urgent need for additional actions to support the rights and contributions of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

The WordCloud visualizes the audience responses to "What should be the future priorities for regional forest governance?"

Highlights from selected sessions and speakers

Forest Resilience and Climate Change
Maintaining and improving forest health depends on our capacity to understand forest vulnerability and adaptation mechanisms, and to reduce and manage risks. In this context, it is also important to consider societal aspects, especially the role of women.
Learn more from keynote speakers Sandy Liebhold (USFS) and Juliette Biao (UNFF).    

Watch IUFRO Congress TV interview with Henrik Hartmann (Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry) and Amy Duchelle (FAO) International Initiatives for Forest Adaptation Strategies about the work they're doing in this area.

Keynote speaker Hans-Joachim Schellnhuber (IIASA) emphasized the need of turning harvested forest biomass into long-lasting elements of the built environment to lock carbon in the long term and counteract climate change.

Biodiversity
Keynote speaker Sally Aitken, Professor in the Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, Faculty of Forestry at the University of British Columbia, Canada, has her focus on the "Forest biodiversity and its ecosystem services". Her research integrates phenotypic, genomic and climatic data to understand the processes driving local adaptation to climate in trees. In her speech she put a spotlight on the challenge with species and seed-source decisions for reforestation. See more!

Bioeconomy
How is the transition toward sustainability shaping industrial actors and the future of markets? Listen to Professor Anne Toppinen, University of Helsinki, explaining the difference between bioeconomy and circular economy and about the synergies between bio-based raw materials and how they are reused in a circular fashion to get more value out of it. See more!
 
Science and Business
The session "Scaling up the exchange between forest science and business" at the IUFRO 2024 Congress on June 24 aimed to bridge the gap between scientific research and business practices. A panel of experts, from science and industry, discussed science-based pathways to address key challenges in forestry. The session emphasized the importance of collaboration for the benefit of forests and society. Highlights included a panel discussion moderated by Maja Radosavljevic and Carola Egger, featuring (on the photo from the right) Rob Kozak,Bernard de Galembert, Viveka Beckeman, Dirk Längin, and Tetra Yanuariadi. Their diverse expertise highlighted the potential of integrating scientific insights into business practices for more effective and sustainable outcomes. With Mentimeter engaging the audience in the session, most respondents reported participation in science-business collaborations, highlighting primary challenges such as common understanding and trust, differing values, and translating knowledge into practice.
Watch an interview with Rob Kozak (UBC) and Tetra Yanuariadi (ITTO)!

Decision-making
Despite the significant advances in all fields of forest science made in recent decades, a persistent gap exists between the knowledge and experience within the forest research community and its application to the pressing issues faced by decision-makers, including communities and other forest and land managers.
Read interviews and listen to leaders in policy and business:

Interview with Angela Coleman and David Lytle, Forest Service in the United States Department of Agriculture
Interview with Elfriede Moser and Georg Rappold, Austrian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Regions and Water Management
Interview with Lars Rebien Sørensen, Danish Novo Nordisk Foundation

For the keynote speaker of the session "Leadership for Sustainability: Overcoming Challenges in Forest Research", Lars Rebien Sørensen, Chairman of the Board, Novo Nordisk Foundation (Denmark), leadership needs to have a vision to attract talented people, attract financing and ensure public relevance. Forests hold a huge potential to solving global challenging, however going forward, a disintegrating biodiversity may be a bigger challenge than climate change. In the panel discussion Juliette Biao, Director of the UNFF Secretariat, highlighted that situational leadership including humility and teamwork has proven to be effective, as there is no one-size-fits-all leadership concept. Johanna Buchert, President and CEO, LUKE, Finland, illustrated how in a low hierarchical organizational set-up, interdisciplinary approaches nourish innovative thinking. David Lytle, Deputy Chief of Research and Development, US Forest Service, noted that an overarching vision of innovations is key to not get wrapped up in the excitement of novelty but to assure impact. All speakers highlighted the importance of exchange with various stakeholders to assure social sustainability, including take-up of scientific research by local communities. It proved equally important for leadership to empower others as part of a decentralized leadership.

Education
As a society we are currently facing several challenges with climate change being the most pressing one. Under this scenario, forest education serves as a tool to enhance the understanding of forests as ecosystems. Forest education is an important ingredient for sustainable prosperity.

Read an interview with Sandra Rodriguez, Autonomous University of Chihuahua, Mexico, and Marie-Ange Ngo Bieng, CIRAD, France, and learn about a board game called Climate Rush.
Watch this video with Marie-Ange Ngo Bieng!

Hear from Henry Komu, Kenya Forestry Research Institute, about the importance of including indigenous knowledge in education HERE!

Listen to Isabelle Claire Dela Paz, President of the International Forestry Students Association (IFSA) and keynoter HERE!

IFSA and IUFRO organized a Mentorship Programme comprising, amongst others, a set of two competitions arranged at the IUFRO World Congress 2024. Thanks to the kind support by the Eva Mayr-Stihl Foundation, there was a prize of 2,000€ for the best submissions in each of the two competition categories. The prizes were handed over by Susann Pfeiffer of the Foundation.

Competition 1: From Congress to Continuity
To enter the competition, the participants had to describe the plan they have developed with their mentor/mentee to continue their mentorship beyond the Congress.

Congratulations to Tahiana Ramananantoandro, and Nandera Juma Lolila, who won the "From Congress to Continuity" mentorship competition.

Competition 2: Mapping a Mentoring Roadmap for IUFRO
In their proposals participants were asked to consider the feasibility of implementation of a structure for mentorship in IUFRO in the future.

Congratulations to the winners of Competition 2:
Karla Pintado Chicaíza
Muhammad Amin Abdullah Azhar
Markus Meyer

Walter Kollert, S. Sandeep, and M.P. Sreelakshmy. With contributions by Adzo Kokutse, Cristiane A.F. Reis, Nelly Grace Bedijo, Olman Murillo, and P.K. Thulasidas

The latest update on teak resources and markets was carried out with the support of IUFRO's network of scientists and TEAKNET experts. It shows that since the last FAO study in 2010, the area of natural and planted teak forests and the harvest of teak logs have increased and teak's share of the global timber market is growing.

The Global Teak Resources and Market Assessment provides country-level information on teak for the year 2022. Teak resources were assessed using a standardized questionnaire sent to qualified experts with access to the required data. International trade in teak logs and sawtimber was assessed using the UN COMTRADE database, which publishes teak data based on official customs records since January 2022.

The report is a useful reference for assessing country situations and trends, which are further explored in brief profiles of the major teak-producing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. There is currently no better source of up-to-date information on teak resources and markets.

Find the download link and more information HERE!

By Pia Katila, Carol J. Pierce Colfer, Wil de Jong, Glenn Galloway, Pablo Pacheco, and Georg Winkel
The book will be published by Oxford University Press, and it will be available as an open access publication later in 2024.

As we look to the future and forest restoration efforts around the world, understanding and balancing the goals of the different organizations undertaking this work is key to their success.

Watch this interview with Pia Katila and Pablo Pacheco at the IUFRO World Congress and find out more.

Find a related policy brief HERE!

An initiative of IUFRO Working Party 9.01.02 - Communication and public relations

Over the last decade, significant change has occurred. Rapid technological innovation, shifting global dynamics and geopolitics, a worldwide pandemic, and a fracturing and reconstructing of communication approaches. Artificial intelligence, misinformation campaigns, podcasting, social media, and a recognition of the importance of science communication have all evolved.

The previous 2014 Communicating Forest Science Manual was innovative for its time. Communicating effectively about forest science seemed more important than ever then and still does today. The role of forests in addressing the global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and human health issues are critical to convey. As populations move more to urban areas, keeping people connected to forests, and informed on forest science are of continued importance.

The 2014 Manual served as a basis for this new one – keeping the ‘evergreen' chapters on topics such as communication strategies but giving them a fresh look. There is a wealth of new content in this edition, including a chapter on forest psychology and fresh perspectives on best practices illustrated through case studies.

This 2024 Communicating Forest Science Manual will be available in an online format and as printed publication in 4 languages.

Download here!

Launch of RFFL Website
The Resilient Future Forests Laboratory (RFFL) is a global network of long-term, operational-scale plots that demonstrate forests managed for resilience and adaptation to change. The RFFL Network covers large gradients of climatic and socio-economic conditions. Visit: https://resilientfutureforest.org/

New IUFRO Occasional Paper: RFFL Guidebook
The new publication provides guidance on establishing and maintaining RFFL Field Plots, collecting data, and sharing results. This guide is intended primarily for anyone directly involved in proposing and establishing an RFFL Location. Scientists, practitioners, consultants/advisors, and landowners (individuals or organizations responsible for the land on which the RFFL is located) all will benefit from this Guide. (IUFRO OP37). Download here!

Discussion Paper WOOD for GLOBE: Global stock-taking and review of Sustainable Wood Policies
By Gary Bull & Erica Di Girolami, May 2024

This publication is a contribution to Work Package 1 "Exchanging technical knowledge and policy experiences" of the WOOD for GLOBE project. The goals of this discussion paper are:

• Undertake a global stock-taking and review of sustainable wood policies, practices, initiatives and programs.
• Expand the scope of the discussion for the development of sustainable wood policies.
• Identify issues preventing the full development of sustainable wood policies and point out opportunities available to address them.
• Provide priorities for action.

Find out more about WOOD for GLOBE and download this and other publications here!


Gender analysis of IUFRO: Identifying opportunities to enhance gender equality in the global forest research network
This report presents original research undertaken by members of the IUFRO Task Force on Gender Equality, together with a review of published literature relating to gender and diversity in the forestry sector and in organizations similar to those found in the sector. Using this information, the Task Force presents a series of recommendations to enhance gender equality in IUFRO as both an organization and a network. Read here! About the Task Force! 


Special Issue on Ecology and Management of Chestnut: Advances and perspectives on the ecology and management of Castanea species
By Enrico Marcolin, Stacy L. Clark, Maria Sameiro Patrício, Verónica Loewe-Muñoz
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2023.121119  

This special issue represents the first major activity of the IUFRO Working Party 1.01.13 - Ecology and silviculture of chestnut and has a global perspective encompassing research related to ecology, silviculture, or management of a chestnut species.


Annual Report of International Science Council
The year 2023 has been transformative for the Council, marked by a notable increase in the ISC's profile, reflected in its enhanced global impact through collaborations with Members and partners. A cornerstone of the success for the Council in 2023 was Members' continued commitment and engagement, including the Mid-term Meeting of Members in Paris in May, and the comprehensive feedback process on the ISC Statutes and Rules of Procedure, enabling the Council to remain responsive and relevant, addressing the pressing challenges of our time. Find the report here!

Report by Oliver Brendel, Chuck Cannon and Keiko Kitamura, Coordinator and Deputy Coordinators of IUFRO Working Party 2.08.05

The international online workshop on May 28 was the sixth online meeting of the IUFRO WP Evolution and Adaptation of Fagaceae and Nothofagaceae. 22 scientists participated in the online meeting. Six 20 min talks were available online before the meeting, and the 2 hours meeting consisted of rapid introductions of these talks followed by lively discussions.

Presentations:

• Ryosuke Ito (Researcher, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Japan) on "Variations in seedling growth strategies across a hybrid zone of Quercus mongolica var. crispula and Q. serrata"
• Alex Reiss (PhD student, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Edinburgh, UK) on "Global patterns in the evolution of host-plant interactions of gall wasps (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini) on Fagaceae"
• Takenori Shagawa (Masters student, Graduate School of Systems Life Sciences, Kyushu University, Japan) on "Synchronized spring fertilization: exploring the role of delayed fertilization and intermittent pollen tube growth in flowers blooming across season"
• Luting Liu (PhD student, Yunnan University, China) "Research Progress on Phylogeny and Population Structure of Quercus engleriana Complex"
• Lin Lin (PhD student, Yunnan University, China) on "Biogeography and niche evolution of the Quercus section Ilex"
• Isabel Loza (PostDoc, The Morton Arboretum, US) on "Prioritizing conservation areas for the genus Quercus (Fagaceae) in Mexico using species distribution models and a multicriteria analysis"

The six presentations nicely highlight the activities of this IUFRO group, encompassing a broad geographic scale, from the US, Mexico, Europe, to Aisa and addressing questions of local adaptation, host-pathogen co-evolution, flowering, interspecific gene flow, niche evolution and niche modelling for conservation purposes. Find the full report here!

Report by Jordi Garcia-Gonzalo (Chair of the Science and the Organizing Committees and Deputy Coordinator of IUFRO Unit 4.04.06) and José G. Borges (Coordinator of IUFRO Unit 4.04.04 and Member of the Symposium Science Committee)

The 20th Symposium on System Analysis in Forest Resources (SSAFR) (https://decisiones.ctfc.cat/SSAFR2024/) brought together researchers and practitioners that develop and apply methods of optimization, simulation, management science, and systems analysis to forestry problems. It reported the state-of-the art on the development and use of operations research and system analysis to enhance forest management planning. 

The 20th Symposium of System Analysis in Forest Resources was organized by Dr. Jordi Garcia-Gonzalo from the from the Forest Sciences and Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC) and it was sponsored by IUFRO Units 4.04.04 and 4.04.06 as well as by the project DecisionES - Decision Support for the Supply of Ecosystem Services under Global Change and partially sponsored by FireRES project, the Gipuzkoa Provincial Council and the Hondarribia city council.

This was the 20th Symposium in a series with previous conferences held in 1975, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2017 and 2022 in the USA, 1993, 2002, 2011 and 2019 in Chile, 2005 in Brazil, 2013 in Canada and 2015 in Sweden. This series has long provided a) a venue for presentation of state-of-the-art applications of operations research and systems analysis in forest resources management planning and policy analysis, and b) opportunities for a fertile exchange of ideas among forest researchers and practitioners.

The SSAFR took place on May 13-17, 2024, in Hondarribia, Basque Country, Spain. It involved 99 participants from 24 countries in Europe, Africa, America, Oceania and Asia. Its program encompassed 6 keynote presentations by: Drs. Bruce Bare and Sándor Toth focusing on the history of SSAFR,

• Dr. Margarida Tomé who discussed forest models and simulators in a global change context and the need for their improvement/adaptation to current forestry requirements,
• Dr. Oscar Garcia who made an introduction to forest modelling with stochastic differential equations,
• Dr. Keith Reynolds who presented an update on the Ecosystem Management Decision Support System (EMDS),
• Dr. Pablo Asiron who presented the Remsoft approach to application of optimization analytics for solving modern-day forestry planning challenges, and
• Dr. Jordi Garcia-Gonzalo who presented the European Union H2020 DecisionES project and discussed its strategy to enhance forest management planning and policy analysis by evolving an integrated and multifunctional ecosystem services supply approach.

It encompassed further 91 oral presentations organized into 24 sessions focusing on themes such as a) Application of Remote Sensing In Forestry, b) Forest Modelling, c) Forest management and planning, d) Forest transportation and supply chain optimization, d) Wildfire risk simulation, management and decision support, e) Forest health, invasive species, and wildlife habitat management, f) Spatially explicit optimization, g) Stochastic process simulation and optimization, h) Quantitative forest and fire economics, i) Forest and watershed management, j) Data science and machine learning and k) Forest systems analysis under the impact of climate change.

The conference worked well as a meeting place for experts on system analysis in a broad sense. It brought together researchers at very different stages of their careers, from PhD students to researchers taking part in the very beginning of the SSAFR series, and from different continents. The arrangements in Hondarribia were ideal for the conference and the 3 days of scientific work included a much-appraised visit to the historical center of the city.

The SSAFR presenters were welcome to submit their research to be published in the Forest Monitor (https://forestsmonitor.com/) edited by a Dr. Rafal Chudy at rafal(at)forestsmonitor.com.