The 27th Session of the Committee on Forestry (COFO 27) was held on 22-26 July 2024 at FAO headquarters, Rome, Italy. High-level representatives, heads of forest services, government officials and partner organizations convened to identify emerging policy and technical guidance, seek solutions, and advise on future strategy and action.

COFO 27 was held in conjunction with the 9th World Forest Week (WFW 2024) under the theme "Accelerating Forest Solutions through Innovation." Outcomes of COFO 27 included, among other things, the approval of SOFO 2024 and endorsement of the FAO Forestry Roadmap 2024-2031 that will guide FAO's forestry work under the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31.

Read:  Summary report (iisd.org)
Read COFO27 report:  COFO/2024/REP
Download SOFO2024:  The State of the World's Forests (fao.org)
See:  FAO Forestry Roadmap

On 19 July 2024, a Pre-World Forest Week high-level dialogue titled "WOOD for GLOBE:  Leading pathways to carbon neutrality and resilience" brought together around 400 participants, with 100 gathered in person and over 300 online. The event provided a platform for global leaders and experts to review progress on implementing sustainable wood pathways and to identify opportunities for international cooperation and joint communication.

The program included a Ministerial segment, building on the exchange of experiences by representatives of countries and initiatives, and reporting of scientific findings on sustainable use of wood in construction, textile and packaging from the WOOD for GLOBE project.

Furthermore, members of the Forest Communicators' Network (FCN) presented the sustainable wood communication campaign "Grow the Solution" which is currently being further developed and aims to encourage greater use of products made from sustainably grown wood as a key strategy for combating climate change.

Throughout the session, participants called to scale up sustainable wood pathways and to join efforts to accelerate the adoption of wood-based solutions. More specifically, several representatives of countries, international organizations and initiatives, private sector and research institutions expressed their support in the Outcome Statement.

Read the Outcome Statement!
Access the form to associate with WOOD for GLOBE Outcome Statement!

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) marked the 75th anniversary of their collaboration for the benefit of forests and people worldwide on 22 July 2024.

At a brief ceremony at FAO headquarters in Rome on the sidelines of the 27th Committee on Forestry, FAO Deputy Director-General Maria Helena Semedo and IUFRO President Daniela Kleinschmit committed to enhancing their work together at a time when science-based innovation holds the key to solving global problems. Read more:  FAO news article!

Filipino community leader Nida Collado won the 2024 Wangari Maathai Forest Champions Award for her outstanding achievements and steadfast commitment to forest conservation and restoration and improving livelihoods. As the President of the Macatumbalen Community-Based Forest and Coastal Management Association (MBFCMA) since 2002, Nida Collado has led the association and community members in restoring and protecting their environment through innovative techniques and strong community involvement.

The award was presented by the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF), which is chaired by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), at a ceremony during the 27th Session of the Committee on Forestry (COFO) in Rome, Italy. IUFRO Officeholder Ellyn Damayanti, Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU), Indonesia, was among the jury members.

Read this press release: 
Filipino community leader wins Wangari Maathai Forest Champions Award 2024 (fao.org)

The State of the World's Forests 2024 (SOFO 2024) report says there's evidence to suggest that climate change is making forests more vulnerable to stressors such as wildfires and pests.

Wildfire intensity and frequency are increasing, including in areas not previously affected, with fires in 2023 releasing an estimated 6,687 megatons of carbon dioxide globally. Climate change also makes forests more vulnerable to invasive species, with insects, pests and disease pathogens threatening tree growth and survival. Global wood production, meanwhile, remains at record levels. After a brief dip during the COVID-19 pandemic, production is back at about 4 billion cubic meters yearly.

Source:  Press release

Report by Carsten Külheim, Coordinator of IUFRO WP 2.04.06 Molecular biology of forest trees, Deputy WP Coordinator Ying-Chung Jimmy Lin, Sanushka Naidoo, David Kainer and Paula Aguayo

The 2024 IUFRO Tree Biotechnology Conference is the biennial meeting on genomics, molecular biology and biotechnology of forest trees, associated with the IUFRO Working Party 2.04.06. This year's meeting was held in Annapolis, MD, USA on August 4th to 8th and was hosted by Yiping Qi (University of Maryland), Edward Eisenstein (University of Maryland), Gary Coleman (University of Maryland), and Heather Coleman (Syracuse University).

The conference covered seven topics over the course of five days:  1) Biological and ecological insights from OMICS, 2) Advancing technologies for targeted trait manipulation and acceptability to diverse tree species, 3) Genes, development, and physiology, 4) Translating genomics and biotechnology to practice, 5) Trees in a changing world, 6) Genetic and phenotypic diversity for breeding and genomic selection, and 7) Biotechnology for biomaterials and bioeconomy. In addition to the sessions, there were two plenary sessions, provided by John Ralph (University of Wisconsin) and Tanja Pyrhäjärvi (University of Helsinki).

The meeting celebrated the second awardees of the newly created IUFRO WG 2.04.06 Award:  Excellence in Forest Molecular Biology and Genomics, which was presented to Chung-Jui (C.J.) Tsai (University of Georgia). Greg Goralogia (Oregon State University) was the recipient of the associated Early Career Award.

The scientific presentations at the conference highlighted cutting-edge advancements in many facets of forest biotechnology research, including applications of genomic selection in forest genetics and breeding, the use of genetic editing, tree physiology, stress response, molecular breeding, wood development, "omics" technologies, and the social and economic impacts of genetically modified (GM) trees.

Scientific take homes from the meeting include the power of NMR to dissect the composition of lignin, the genomic diversity of forest trees that has enormous potential for tree improvement and integration of systems biology with climate and geographical data.

The conference attracted a mix of students (25), postdoctoral fellows (32), and scientists from academia (66) and industry (18). In all, the conference was attended by 141 registered participants, representing 20 countries that participated in 23 invited lectures (including 6 'early-career' keynotes), 27 voluntary talks and 61 poster presentations. Support for the conference was drawn from a wide variety of Academia, Industry, and Government sources, and included financial support from several tree improvement companies.

Overall, the conference was a great success, providing an exceptional mix of science and social activities in a relaxed and collegial atmosphere. More information about the meeting can be found at treebiotech.org. The next meeting will be held in Stellenbosch, South Africa in 2026, hosted jointly by Zander Myburg, Dave Drew (University of Stellenbosch) and Sanushka Naidoo (University of Pretoria, FABI).

Report by Georgeta Mihai, Deputy Coordinator of IUFRO WP 2.09.01 Seed Orchards

The meeting on 20-24 May 2024 brought 86 participants from 18 countries to Brasov, Romania. It was hosted by "Marin Dracea" National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry and included a study tour to Avrig Forest District within RNP-ROMSILVA (National Forest Administration) where an Abies alba seed orchard, a Norway spruce provenance trial and Abies alba genetic resources were visited.

Visit:  Meeting website

This conference is the Sixth Conference of the IUFRO Seed Orchards Working Party founded by Professor Dag Lindgren in 2008. The objective of the conference was to exchange the most recent scientific knowledge related to seed orchards and tree breeding, and the role of the seed orchards for practical forest management. The conference offered an opportunity for participants to exchange information and ideas, and to share their own results and expertise. Furthermore, the conference aimed to encourage collaboration among research teams to continue and develop the work related to seed orchards.

The topics addressed were broad and covered many aspects related to seed orchards, including the seed orchards design; mating patterns and gene flow using molecular markers; genetic gain and diversity of seed orchards crops; genomics analysis; reproductive phenology and seed production; effect of management on cone production; and relationship with other forest issues.

The seed orchards represent an advanced seed breeding technology that incorporates knowledge from different fields such as population genetics, genomics, tree breeding, silviculture, and forest health. Currently, in the context of the rapid climate changes, their role becomes more important. The seed orchards could be the key for a sustainable forest management, because the demand for high resilience forest reproductive material for afforestation, reforestation, or restoration will increase.

Download:  Book of abstracts

Report by PK Thulasidas and Mario Tomosiello Filho, Deputy Coordinators, IUFRO Working Party 5.06.02 Utilization of planted teak

A 2-hour Teak Session, T2.29 entitled "Strengthening Teak Forest Management for Sustainable Teakwood Supply Chains and Trade" was successfully organized by IUFRO Working Party 5.06.02 on 28th June 2024. The event was co-sponsored by ITTO, Japan, along with the International Teak Information Network (TEAKNET), with the technical and financial support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome. The session was attended by around 50 participants from different countries and included 10 oral presentations and two E-posters.

New Teak Publication

At the session, TEAKNET Coordinator Dr. Sandeep S. presented the results of the "Global Teak Resources and Market Assessment 2022" (TRMA 2022), which was launched at the Innovation Stage of the Stockholm Congress. The study revealed that teak is now growing in over 80 countries worldwide and the area of natural teak and planted teak forests has expanded substantially, the harvest of teak roundwood has increased and teak's share of the global market is growing. India remains the dominant trading partner and imports 97 percent of the total trade volume. Compared to the TRMA 2010 assessment report of FAO, the present 2022 report highlights that the area of natural teak forests has increased by 1.180 million ha globally while the global area of planted teak forests is estimated at 4.854 million ha, of which 80% is in Asia, 13 % in Africa and 7% in Latin America.

Available for download from IUFRO website:  HERE

5th World Teak Conference announced

PK Thulasidas announced that the 5th edition of the World Teak Conference would be held in Cochin, India, during 16-20 September 2025, organized by Kerala Forest Research Institute and TEAKNET, with the financial support of ITTO and in association with IUFRO and FAO of the United Nations. The previous WTC was held in the Republic of Ghana, Africa, in 2022.

Find the full report:  HERE

IUFRO congratulates Dr. Kamal Gandhi on the receipt of the A.D. Hopkins Award of the Southern Forest Health Work Conference (SFHWC). The A.D. Hopkins Award is presented to an individual with an outstanding record of service to southern forest health. Dr. Ghandi is the outgoing Deputy Coordinator of IUFRO Research Group 8.02.00 – Forest biodiversity.

Hello everyone, I'm Fernanda Gonzalez, a 26-year-old from Oaxaca, Mexico with a passion for forest, wildlife, conservation and statistics. I hold a bachelor's degree in Forest Engineering from the Universidad Autónoma Chapingo, where I had the chance to be part of various projects with communities in Oaxaca, Mexico and in Madre de Dios, Peru.

Throughout my studies, I enjoyed getting involved in extracurricular activities, including the local committee CHAUPEA, of the International Forestry Students' Association (IFSA). I started by helping the communications team, then took on the role within the Summer School and, in this past term (2023/2024), I was responsible for leading the Carbon and Sustainability Sub-Commission within IFSA.

Recently, I completed my master's degree in Forest Resources Management at SUNY – ESF, thanks to a scholarship by USFS. This experience gave me the confidence to apply for the internship with IUFRO through IFSA. When I found I had been accepted, it was a huge moment for me. I accepted the offer without hesitation, even though it was a tough and risky decision. The chance to intern with an international organization was something I had always dreamed of.

In this internship, at IUFRO, I'm excited to find not only the tools I need to start my career but also to connect with others who share the same passion and drive for a common goal. I'm looking forward to contributing to IUFRO and to all of you in the best way possible.

This 2nd updated edition prepared by Victor K. Teplyakov presents biographical sketches of recipients of the IUFRO Distinguished Service Award including IUFRO World Congress awardees. The Honorary Membership and Scientific Achievement Award publications are also being updated right now by Victor K. Teplyakov and are or will soon be available:  HERE

Editors:  Elisabeth Gerhardt, Martin Greimel. July 2024

This paper is part of the project "Wood for Globe - Towards a Global Wood Policy Platform:  Sustainable Wood for a Carbon-Neutral Bioeconomy", led by IUFRO and funded through the Forest Fund of the Republic of Austria".

The focus is on the following two topics:  "wood in construction" (in the building sector) and "wood fiber in the textile, packaging and construction sector". Six senior and seven junior scientists coming from different countries across the world were selected to contribute to this scientific report. Each of them provided their expertise highlighting "Best practices" (in terms of carbon-neutral bioeconomy), the "Transferability" and applicability, respectively, in other countries (especially in Asia, Latin America, Africa) as well as "Key messages and Recommendations".

The manual, a project of IUFRO Working Party 9.01.02 - Communication and public relations launched at the IUFRO World Congress now appears in a fresh look! The manual contains a wealth of new content, including a chapter on forest psychology and fresh perspectives on best practices illustrated through case studies.

This 2024 Communicating Forest Science Manual 2.0 would not have been possible without the volunteer authors and assistant editors. Also, thanks go to the Lifesystemic project which kindly funded the proofreading/layout and printing as well as translation into Slovenian, Croatian and Italian of the manual.

Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) is a global priority aimed at reversing forest loss and degradation. While humans are central to restoration efforts, their role is often underrepresented in forest restoration projects. A new report by IUFRO, WWF, SER, and UNIL addresses this gap by focusing on the human dimensions of FLR.

Dr. Stephanie Mansourian, lead author and external scientific collaborator with the University of Lausanne (UNIL), explains:  "Human dimensions of FLR encompass activities essential for enabling restoration, such as negotiating long-term objectives and resolving conflicts. They also include understanding the motivations behind forest restoration or destruction, and the factors influencing public support for restoration efforts."

Watch the recorded webinar from 16 July 2024:  HERE

The abstracts of papers and posters accepted for the IUFRO World Congress have been compiled and are now available for download from the IUFRO World Congress landing page.

Also, you will find a selection of photos from the Congress (Flickr), videos and other information. The Congress app can still be accessed, but no longer downloaded, and the Congress website keeps running until the 2029 Congress.

Chakraborty, D., Ciceu, A., Ballian, D. et al. Assisted tree migration can preserve the European forest carbon sink under climate change. Nat. Clim. Chang. 14, 845–852 (2024).

A new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change reveals that simply planting more trees in Europe won't be enough to effectively combat climate change and preserve the continent's terrestrial carbon sink. Researchers from the Austrian Research Centre for Forests (BFW) and international collaborators, including IUFRO officeholders, stress the crucial role of "assisted migration" – a strategy of selecting tree species and seed sources that are best adapted to future climate conditions.
Read:  Media release