change language:

IUFRO News, Volume 50, Issue 3, 2021



Towards Gender Mainstreaming in Forestry

Interview with members of the IUFRO Task Force on 'Gender Equality in Forestry' and the 'Gender and Forestry' Research Group and its Working Parties
Task Force: https://www.iufro.org/science/task-forces/gender-equality-in-forestry/
Research Group: https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-6/60000/60800/

Achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls is one of the 17 goals (SDG5) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Although important progress has been made in several areas, gender inequalities are still deeply rooted in societies worldwide.

This holds also true for forestry professions and forest education, where women are still underrepresented in many parts of the world. IUFRO addresses "Gender equality in forestry” through a Task Force and through dedicated Units of its Division 6 "Social Aspects of Forests and Forestry” https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-6/60000/ with the aim to increase the attention, knowledge and engagement in gender and forestry as a field of research.


Dr Purabi BOSE  is a researcher and filmmaker of Landing Together Films, India, Deputy Coordinator of Division 6, Coordinator of the Working Party "Gender research in forestry” https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-6/60000/60800/60801/ and a Task Force member. She is an environmentalist (forest, land tenure, conservation and climate change) and social scientist (human rights, governance and social diversity) and has expert knowledge on social diversity and equity, particularly related to indigenous communities of Asia and Latin America.

Associate Professor Gun LIDESTAV, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, is a forest resource management scientist with a vast research knowledge on family and community forestry, including rural development. As Task Force coordinator, she brings her long-term experience of coordination and research on gender and gender equality initiatives in a forestry context. In 2000 she initiated the IUFRO Units on Gender and Forestry and has since then been engaged in the IUFRO network holding various positions.

Dr Alice LUDVIG  of the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria, is a Task Force Deputy Coordinator and a Deputy Coordinator of the Research Group on "Gender and forestry”. She is a political scientist and senior researcher dealing with topics such as forest ownership, non-timber forest products and social innovation in forestry from both empirical and theoretical perspectives. Currently she is studying effects of gender balance on the wood value chain.


Dr BOSE, why is mainstreaming gender in forestry, forest education and research important in general and why is it especially important for rural and indigenous communities in the Global South?

Gender mainstreaming is a strategy to achieve equality between men and women. More and more gender dialogues are integrating non-binary - including identities beyond masculine and feminine. Mainstreaming gender perspectives in forests is about human rights. Recognizing an individual's gender identity helps us to identify their unique relationships to forest land-use and its resources. At national and international levels, acknowledging gender identities in forest research and policy plans enhances the outcomes of forest governance.

For many forest-dependent Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs), gender equity has been a 'way of living'. The global community can learn from the IPLCs. External interventions such as deforestation, mining-induced displacements and illegal logging have threatened the communities' gender balance practices making women vulnerable. Therefore, it is important that all external stakeholders avoid imposing gender bias on the IPLC's forest management practices in the Global South.

Dr BOSE, how can gender research in forestry contribute to achieving SDG5?

The official wording of SDG 5 is "Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls”. Although an ambitious goal, it is significant to know that women play a critical role in forest conservation and restoration. Gender research in forestry is the wheel for successful forest management. Its findings have influence in many countries on ways to make forest policy gender neutral by sharing an approach with forest communities for equal benefit sharing and identifying areas where gender roles hinder or promote collective forest management and restoration of forested landscapes.

More importantly, gender research in forestry can help identify gaps in forest policy and practices, hidden gender stereotypes and cases where identities have (in)equitable impacts on forest management across the globe. On the other hand, SDG5 has its own lacunas in indicators and targets, which gender research in forestry can highlight in order to minimize the misunderstandings in the narratives.

Dr LUDVIG, you are doing research on women in leadership and management positions along the wood value chain. What are your main findings and how difficult is it for women to get to the top?

Yes, I am currently doing this research in the project "GEWOOD” funded by the Austrian Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism. What I have found out so far is that the structural mechanisms of inclusion and exclusion are quite similar to the ones found for gender and entrepreneurship as well as innovation in other sectors: Selection biases can be strong when it comes to leading positions. The women whom I have interviewed so far are extraordinary, charismatic and very well-prepared persons. The question as to where the many others are, who are still not represented there, remains to be answered. The reasons can be ascribed to a number of both internal and external factors.

From the perspective of policies, I see a definitive need to understand that entrepreneurship is not "gender-neutral” and that, consequently, the inclusion and formation of diverse groups could lead to more innovation, increased stability and resilience within the wood-based value chains. However, we still need to acquire more knowledge about women and other groups. This is what my project is about.


Dr LUDVIG, the IUFRO Task Force has just finalized a series of studies in selected countries in the Global North and South to examine the gender balance and analyze gender equality initiatives within the forest sector. Can you point out one or two major communalities and/or differences between the countries?

The studies examine several equality initiatives throughout the globe. Among these initiatives there are two country reports that deal with case studies of female forest ownership networks. One is US-based and a grass-roots initiative. It is more inside-oriented with a focus on peer-to-peer learning and a perspective towards being an "alternative” to the other rather male-dominated networks in the US.

The Austrian-based network is slightly more embedded within the official forest-sector institutions. It has also male members and is open to all forest-based sectors and industries. Given its visibility and representation it is oriented towards the general public with organizing public events and a number of activities such as forest walks and conferences. Both networks have slightly different goals and roots. Therefore it is not possible to tell whether one strategy is more or less successful in their ways and means than the other.

Dr BOSE, what are the most important findings for countries in the Global South? Can you give one or two examples from the studies of what works to improve gender balance?

Key findings in the Global South indicate that of all the people living in extreme poverty, almost 75 per cent of them are directly or indirectly dependent on forests for livelihoods. What works to improve gender balance is context specific. I have collected a few examples from my research studies on diverse forest types – tropical and dry – and people in Latin America, South Asia and East Africa.

In India, for example, it is mandatory under the Forest Rights Act to include both the husband's and the wife's names in the individual forest land title. Indigenous or adivasi women think this legislative change has helped them to gain status in the community forest group. In Colombia, an agroforestry project promoted for indigenous women gave them economic empowerment and a platform to work collectively as women's cooperative. And in Uganda, when rural women won local elections, their priority was to ensure reforestation of the degraded land by women. In brief, there is hope!

Dr LUDVIG, the Austrian case study highlights the "Forstfrauen” network. From 12-14 April 2021 the IUFRO Task Force will participate together with "Forstfrauen” and other partners in an online conference entitled "Forests in Women's Hands” https://forstfrauen.at/en/konferenz-2021 to encourage networking. Why is networking important, and are there gender differences in networking?

To enhance networking is one of the three major policy columns for supporting women to reach leading positions, alongside mentoring and the different forms of affirmative action that are available. There is no doubt, some of the most established networks are almost exclusively male. As such, female networks are a proven means for exchange and empowerment.

As to the second question, I can still hear the words of one of my own mentors very clearly: "As women we simply have much less time for all this networking that is going on.” To me this is not only because of family reasons; I can also observe that many women tend to hold more precarious positions in the working chains, at least in academia. The result of these time-constraints is that women's networking must be more targeted and highly efficiency-oriented.

Professor LIDESTAV, gender research in IUFRO is a relatively young field; the Research Group on 'Gender and Forestry' was established only in 2000. Does IUFRO adequately address gender issues and how can it improve its gender balance?

Since the establishment of the Research Group on 'Gender and Forestry' in 2000, I have witnessed a growing interest in gender issues in the broad field of forest research and education. Research colleagues and students are increasingly becoming aware of how gender intersects with other aspects of how humans perceive and make use of forests.

Empirical studies with gender perspectives are now more common across IUFRO-organized conferences and sessions, and the Task Force initiated in 2019 will enhance the self-awareness of the network. This is a positive development. Yet, similar to other organizations IUFRO needs to consider and actively address the questions as to how the current gender (im)balance impacts on its performance, and how issues of gender equality and gendered organizational awareness may support IUFRO's mission "to foster the development of science-based solutions to forest-related challenges”.

Initiatives for More Gender Equality in Forestry
Find the country case studies here:
https://www.iufro.org/science/task-forces/gender-equality-in-forestry/publications/


2021 World Wood Day: Carbon Capture and Storage in Forests, Wood and Non-Wood Products

Report by Hiromi Waragai, 'Dare to Explore!' Trainee at IUFRO Headquarters

World Wood Day (WWD) is celebrated every year on 21 March in order to highlight wood as an ecofriendly and renewable biomaterial and to raise awareness on the key role wood plays in a sustainable world through biodiversity and forest conservation. Various physical activities such as children's events, folk art workshops, an international woodcarving show, music performances, tree planting and woodturning demonstrations usually characterize the event. Due to the spread of COVID-19, however, 2021 WWD was celebrated fully online on the day with the traditional scientific symposium as main activity. The other activities will be spread over the entire year and presented via social media.

IUFRO President John Parrotta delivered a welcome address that can be watched here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LlSo4yF8Iw&t=14s

The theme of 2021 WWD was "CO2 & Wood: Carbon Capture and Storage in Forests, Wood and Non-Wood Products”. In line with this theme the "2021 World Wood Day Virtual Symposium and Third IUFRO Forest Products Culture Colloquium” on 21 and 22 March 2021 emphasized the importance that harvested long-lived forest products (wood and non-wood materials) play in mitigating climate change by storing carbon. Various strategies are needed to secure the long-lived carbon storage effectiveness of forest products through research and innovations in forest products technology as well as educational aspects concerning wood and forest culture. Therefore, the event was structured along six different topics to cover these perspectives:

  • Carbon Capture and Storage in Forests, Wood and Non-Wood Forest Products;
  • Wood in Construction and Building, including Wood Durability and Protection Needs;
  • Building Components, Furniture, Musical Instruments, Artifacts Manufacturing and Design;
  • Education on Sustainable Forests, Forest Products Utilization and Wood Culture;
  • Challenges for Sustainability in the Forest-Wood Chain;
  • Wood Products and Wood Biotechnology.

The meeting was organized by the International Wood Culture Society (IWCS) together with the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), International Academy of Wood Science (IAWS), Estonian State Forest Management Centre (RMK), International Union of Forest Research Organizations
(IUFRO Division 5.00.00 https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-5/50000/,
Research Group 5.15.00 https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-5/50000/51500/,
Working Party 9.03.02 https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-9/90000/90300/90302/),
supported by the International Association of Wood Anatomists (IAWA), The Japan Wood Research Society (JWRS), International Society of Wood Science and Technology (SWST) and International Research Group on Wood Protection (IRGWP) and sponsored by The Korean Society of Wood Science & Technology (KSWST) and World Wood Day Foundation (WWDF).

More details about the symposium and promotional videos for the rest of the celebrations can be found at the World Wood Day 2021 websites:
http://www.worldwoodday.org  and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUUqTXdNxUgWhofyWZ_45-Q
as well as in social media: https://www.facebook.com/worldwoodday/; https://www.instagram.com/worldwoodday/
You may also watch the video at: https://player.vimeo.com/video/49398127
Read a report about all WWD activites at: https://www.iufro.org/fileadmin/material/science/divisions/div5/51500/wwd21-virtual-event-and-symposium-report.pdf.


Forest Roads in Southern Africa

Report from the third webinar in the IUFRO 3.01.02 Seminar Series 'Forest Roads: Regional perspectives from around the world', by Kevin Lyons, Coordinator of IUFRO 3.01.02 - Road engineering and management
Note: Next webinar in this series on 15 April to focus on Asia!


This seminar series provides regional perspectives on the design, construction, and management of forest road systems. The intent is to provide the participants with regional views of what forest roads are and the major factors affecting them. Recordings of the presentations are available at:
https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-3/30000/30100/30102/

The third seminar was held on February 9, 2021. It was presented by Dr Muedanyi Ramantswana, Nelson Mandela University, who focused on forest roads in Southern Africa. The presentation focused on Southern African countries practicing plantation forestry, namely Angola, Mozambique, Malawi, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The predominant geological forms in Southern African countries are relatively old and comprise tectonically stable landforms bound by young fold belts. The underlying geological form comprises un-weathered rock with the presence of quartz. The ownership of plantation forests across the different countries varies between state-owned and privately owned, and the main genera planted are fast growing exotic species such as pines, eucalypts and wattle.

In the context of plantation forestry in Southern Africa, a forest road is defined an asset used for access to forest resources and management purposes. Forest roads provide access for forest operations such as silviculture, harvesting, forest protection and recreation. In Southern Africa, forest roads are classified according to three categories: class A (2 lanes with wearing course), class B (1 or 2 lanes with in situ material or wearing course) and class C (single lane with vegetation e.g. grass, in situ or wearing course). Most roads are constructed during the forest establishment phase and they are usually basic access routes which are later upgraded when the trees are harvested. Some of the original roads are rerouted before harvesting to optimize timber harvesting and transport.

There is a general lack of forest road density information in Southern African countries; however, the available information for countries such as South Africa indicates that the road density varies between 55m/ha to 150m/ha. In countries such as South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe, the forest road infrastructure already exists and very few new roads are constructed. Roads are usually constructed or upgraded six months prior to use to give them sufficient time to settle. If material is required to strengthen the in situ material it is sourced from local borrow pits. The maintenance of existing roads generally focuses on surface, drainage and roadside maintenance to improve the longevity of the road, mitigate defects and reduce environmental impacts.


Forests, Nature and Public Space during the Global Pandemic

The first webinar of the new IUFRO Division 6 webinar series was successfully held on 19 March 2021. It presented and discussed research on the role of forests, nature, and public space in urban areas during the Covid-19 pandemic. How have our local green spaces helped us to cope with the public health crisis? Have we seen changes in the use and perception of urban nature? Will this affect the way in which we plan, design, and manage our urban green areas and public spaces, and perhaps even our cities?

Should you have missed the kick-off webinar, visit:
https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-6/60000/publications/


Forest Genetic Monitoring

Report by P. G. Alizoti, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
Coordinator of IUFRO WP 2.02.13 Breeding and genetic resources of Mediterranean conifers

https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-2/20000/20200/20213/

The meeting "Forest Science for Future Forests: Forest genetic monitoring and biodiversity in changing environments” was held on 21 – 25 September 2020 at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, and organized by Dr Hojka Kraigher of the Slovenian Forestry Institute. It was attended by 60 online participants, 30 on site participants and many more following the livestream. In addition to IUFRO WP 2.02.13, WP 2.04.01 Population, ecological and conservation geneticshttps://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-2/20000/20400/20401/ and WP 2.04.12 Forest genetic monitoringhttps://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-2/20000/20400/20412/ were involved.
Meeting website:https://conference.lifegenmon.si/

Forest Genetic Monitoring (FGM) aims at the assessment of the current state of genetic variation and the quantification of its relevant changes at a temporal scale. Its main goal is to preserve the long-term adaptive evolutionary potential. FGM is therefore a prognostic tool expected to enhance the potential for early detection of potentially harmful genetic variation changes, and their subsequent consequences on forest adaptability, before they affect higher biodiversity levels (e.g., species or ecosystem diversity). FGM is expected to play a significant role towards the enhancement of sustainability of the applied forest management strategies and practices.

Genetic diversity is a key component of resilience and adaptability. Changes of genetic diversity over time, due to climate change, stochastic causes, and human activity may have detrimental effects on the adaptation and evolutionary potential of forest tree populations. Forest genetic monitoring is expected to capture such genetic diversity changes at an early phase and, thus, work as an early warning system that could provide useful information for the application of appropriate management practices that will secure the sustainability of forest populations and their genetic resources.

Here the use of genetic markers to monitor the parental and offspring populations is needed to assess the level of genetic variation change, especially when years with extreme climatic conditions or stochastic events occur. Monitoring of phenological traits (i.e., bud break, leaf cessation, bud set, male and female flowering, fructification and seed set) and growth traits is also extremely important as it provides information on the causes of the potential discrepancies recoded in the levels of genetic variation and the adaptive potential of the species/populations in question.

Forest Genetic Monitoring should become an integral part of forest management, as the information obtained by its application may lead to the adoption of the most appropriate strategies and practices, aiming towards the long-term adaptation, evolutionary potential and conservation of genetic resources of the genetically monitored forest tree species and populations.

The conference also addressed issues of forest dynamics, interactions and biodiversity levels at various scales and the existing potential for a science-policy interface were discussed, too.

Note: The report has been shortened by the editor.
Read the full report here:
https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-2/20000/20200/20213/activities/


Webinars #3 and #4 of the Int'l Tree Mortality Network Now Online!

#3 Tree mortality in Australian ecosystems: past, present and future
Australia is not only the driest inhabited continent, it also experiences high interannual variability in rainfall, and severe multi-year droughts. Tree death from drought is thus a recurring feature of the Australian landscape. In her talk Professor Belinda Medlyn, University of Western Sydney, reviewed our current understanding of drought mortality in Australian ecosystems.
Watch here:https://youtu.be/hRlBc7oR328

#4 Rising tree mortality in the Anthropocene
Tree mortality is rising in most documented locations, but the drivers and mechanisms of this trend are unknown. Changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide, temperature, and vapor pressure deficit, along with drought, are primary potential drivers.
Watch the recorded webinar with Dr Nate McDowell, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, USA, here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdAXQ8CibKA

For information about previous webinars and the IUFRO Task Force 'Monitoring Global Tree Mortality Patterns and Trends': https://www.iufro.org/science/task-forces/tree-mortality-patterns/activities/


IUFRO Division 1 Silviculture – Designing the Way Forwards

Fifty-two officeholders of the IUFRO Silviculture Division https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-1/10000/ got together in an online meeting on 23 February 2021 to exchange views on strategic issues and report on on-going activities and future plans. The meeting started with four scientific and technical presentations followed by a business meeting. The presentations focused on ongoing and upcoming cooperation in forest research and were very inspiring:

Linda Nagel and colleagues in RG 1.05.00 Uneven-aged silviculture:
Uneven-aged silviculture during a time of change

Stacy Clark and colleagues in the new WP 1.01.13 Ecology and silviculture of chestnut:
Chestnut: the new initiative

Ho Sang Kang and colleagues in RG 1.10.00 Long-term research on forest ecosystem management:
Greening and land degradation neutrality in dryland: a quick review

Andrés Bravo-Oviedo in RG 1.09.00 Ecology and silviculture of mixed forests:
Managing mixed forests: Research & Challenges

The latter half of the meeting was devoted to IUFRO's Strategy Action Plan and a discussion of ongoing and future activities to further strengthen cooperation within and beyond IUFRO. Here are some of the goals and action points:

Hold events in cooperation with IUFRO Task Forces and other Divisions, with online access.

  • Hold events outside of Europe and North America and events in cooperation with external partners, private stakeholders, etc.
  • IFSA cooperation and training sessions for young scientists and for colleagues from economically disadvantaged regions etc.
  • Review papers and similar publications, possibly with external partners.
  • 'New communication', including the use of contemporary media and updating of webpage information.
  • New units and larger diversity in gender balance and geographical coverage among officeholders (landscape-level silviculture, sub-tropical silviculture, mangrove silviculture, other topics).

The IT team of the University of Trás-Os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal, provided technical support. Report (abridged by editor) by Pil Sun Park, Teresa Fonseca, Khosro Sagheb-Talebi & JP Skovsgaard: https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-1/10000/activities/


News from Members


Cork Oak Research in Tunisia

Report by Boutheina Stiti, Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries, Tunisia, and Deputy Coordinator of IUFRO Working Party 4.05.01 - Managerial, social and environmental accounting
https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-4/40000/40500/40501/

Under the current circumstances of the epidemic, the following two Congresses in which Dr Stiti participated were held online:

The 10th International Ecology Symposium took place from November 26-28, 2020 in Bursa, Turkey: http://ecology2020.btu.edu.tr/. Dr Stiti presented a study entitled ''The phenomenon of creeping plants: a dilemma of cork oak regeneration in Tunisia”.

The digital 6th International Congress of Plant and Animal Biodiversity - CIBVA6- 2020 was an international congress on biodiversity, ecosystem restoration and the conservation of threatened habitats organized on 25 November 2020 by Professor Mohamed RAMDANI from the Mohammed V University of Rabat, Morocco. It brought together a group of 55 leading university scientists, administrators and researchers to exchange and share their experiences and research results on all ecological and socio-economic aspects. Participants came from Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, France, Jordan, Ivory Coast, Kuwait and Spain.

The forum provided a first-rate interdisciplinary platform for researchers, practitioners and educators to present and discuss the most recent innovations, knowledge, trends and concerns, as well as practical challenges encountered, and solutions adopted in the fields of biodiversity and the restoration of suitable conditions for a balanced functioning of ecosystems.

The oral presentation that Dr Stiti gave there dealt with the main results of a study aimed at promoting cork oak acorns in animal feed. This presentation was honored with the 3rd prize of excellence from the organizing committee of the CIBVA6 congress. The oral presentation was titled: "Effect of provenance, mode of storage and treatment on the chemical composition and antioxidant activity of Cork Oak Acorns (Quercus suber) from the North Western region of Tunisia”.

Boutheina Stiti is also a member of the organizing committee of the next International Conference of Biodiversity and Biotechnology - CIBB6- 2021:https://www.cibb6-2021.com/


Forest Research Wins Funding for Collaborative Research into Oak Tree Health

The project, named 'BAC-STOP' (Bacteria: Advancement of Control and Knowledge to Save Threatened Oak and Protect them for Future Generations'),will focus on Acute Oak Decline (AOD) - an emerging complex disease in which bacteria cause stem lesions on native species of British oak: BAC-STOP - BPD-UK (bacterialplantdiseases.uk)

BAC-STOP aims to produce evidence to inform tree health policy and to develop practical measures for the management of AOD to enhance the resilience of British oak. The project will involve a multidisciplinary team led by Dr Sandra Denman at Forest Research and includes the University of the West of England, Rothamsted Research, Bangor University (IUFRO Member) and Aberystwyth University.

Using cutting-edge science, the project will assess the transmission of bacteria in AOD by studying the behaviour of the beetle Agrilus biguttatus which co-occurs with AOD symptoms. By gaining a better understanding of the beetle's interactions with AOD bacteria and oak trees, the aim is to resolve the controversy of its role in the spread of AOD and to inform practical management of the disease. A range of stakeholders will be involved in the research to explore social knowledge, attitudes, and motivations to act on AOD, helping to design realistic options for the management of oak health for future resilience.

Forest Research (IUFRO Member) is the research agency of the Forestry Commission and Great Britain's principal organization for forestry and tree-related research. Find the full release here:
https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/news/forest-research-wins-funding-collaborative-research-oak-tree-health/


100 Years of Forest Research in British Columbia, Canada

Exactly 100 years ago the Canadian Province of British Columbia (BC) started investing in forest research. It was 1921 when the BC Forest Branch hired the first research scientist, J.L. Alexander, to work on forest regeneration, growth and yield, and fire protection. Since then, the Research Program has delivered high-quality research, establishing BC as a world leader in natural resources stewardship.

Watch this video to learn more: 100 Years of Research: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BMNpZMjVFA
Or listen to these interesting research talks:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSNb4N2Am_HYuH2sTW-J9gkNy8KiOfBfS


Congratulations!

On 1 April 2021 IUFRO Vice-President Daniela Kleinschmit joined the Rectorate of the University of Freiburg, Germany as new part-time Vice-President. The environmental social scientist Professor Kleinschmit will be responsible for issues of internationalization and sustainability. The second part-time Vice-President is the historian Professor Sylvia Paletschek. She will be in charge of topics related to university culture.
More: https://www.pr.uni-freiburg.de/pm-en/personalia-en/senate-elects-part-time-vice-presidents?set_language=en


Memories of the XXV IUFRO World Congress

All information on the XXV IUFRO World Congress in Curitiba, Brazil, has now been compiled in a beautiful brochure. In the preface Erich Gomes Schaitza, Head of Embrapa Forestry, says, "We hope that by diving into these Memories you will feel inspired to participate in initiatives which, like this, bring people together, bring new knowledge, move the host cities and, above all, demonstrate the strength of forestry research. Enjoy good memories, enjoy good times! The effort to document each session, every detail of the IUFRO2019 Congress has been done made with you in mind!”

Available in English and Portuguese
https://www.iufro.org/news/article/2021/03/22/memories-of-the-xxv-iufro-world-congress-in-curitiba-brazil/


Obituary Karl - Charly - Kleemayr

IUFRO Division 8 - Unit 8.03.00 Natural hazards and risk management, in particular - mourns the loss of our colleague and friend Karl (Charly) Kleemayr, who passed away on Friday 26 February 2021. We remember Charly's enthusiasm and creativity in advancing the knowledge and value of forest-based solutions for the prevention of natural hazards. He was passionate about his research, working to improve the quality of life in forested mountain areas. His great sense of human relations is at the center of many European and international projects, initiatives and collaborations.

After an initial training at the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences (BOKU) in 1989 devoted to natural risk prevention and forestry, he worked for two years in an Austrian operational service (the torrent and avalanche control service - WLV). He was soon fascinated by the research work to be carried out to meet the needs of foresters in this field and so joined the Institute for Alpine Natural Hazards of BOKU, where he completed a doctorate in 1996 on the interactions between snow cover and forest.

Since 2004, he had been the head of the Natural Hazards Department of the Austrian Forest Research Centre (BFW) in Innsbruck. Within this new framework of actions, he led the IUFRO Unit 8.03.00 and was one of the key factors in the success of many projects, including the European Interreg Alpine Space projects NEWFOR and ROCKtheALPS. With the successful organization of the International Snow Science Workshop (ISSW) 2018 in Innsbruck, he set a milestone for snow and avalanche research in Austria.

When the illness struck him down and threw him back to the affection of his loved ones, he was coordinating the GreenRisk4Alps project, the objective of which is the promotion of ecosystem-based concepts to support risk governance with respect to natural hazards and climate impacts.

Charly was not only a scientist, he will also be remembered as a jazz lover, a skilled saxophonist, an astute travel companion and above all a caring friend.

We will sorely miss him. Our thoughts and condolences go out especially to his wife and son as well as to the wider family. R.I.P Charly

Dr. Frédéric Berger on behalf of IUFRO Unit 8.03.00

https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-8/80000/80300/


Publications and FLR


French Version of "Forest Landscape Restoration Implementation”

IUFRO Occasional Paper 33 now also in French: 'Mise en œuvre de la restauration des paysages forestiers: Leçons apprises de paysages sélectionnés en Afrique, en Asie et en Amérique latine'

A total of 17 landscapes in nine countries with Bonn Challenge commitments (three each in Africa, Asia and Latin America) were analyzed as "snapshots” of FLR implementation by a team of IUFRO researchers. Now the lessons learned from these case studies are also available in French after the English version was published in 2020.

In each case the team collected information on who is involved, what actions are taken, what is working, what is not working, what has been achieved, what policies are supporting or hindering implementation, what has been learned to date, and what could be done differently.

Building on this information, over 60 specific lessons learned were derived from the landscape studies. These were further distilled into the ten overarching lessons that are presented in this publication.

Results are intended to specifically inform FLR stakeholders operating in three different spaces: field implementation, FLR facilitation, and governance and policy.

Through this publication IUFRO hopes that the overarching lessons can provide valuable experiences for others involved in implementing forest landscape restoration.

For download:https://www.iufro.org/publications/series/occasional-papers/article/2020/02/14/occasional-paper-no-33-forest-landscape-restoration-implementation-lessons-learned-from-selected/


Take the Global Restoration Survey!

In preparation for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, a coalition of 41 organizations prepared a global online survey to identify existing capacity needs to scale up restoration.
Participate until 15 April: https://www.decadeonrestoration.org/take-survey


Latest IUFRO Spotlight: Getting everyone on board to succeed in forest landscape restoration

In many countries land degradation is severe and widespread, and restoration will be a task for many years to come. So, capacities there must be enhanced to help shape a more sustainable world.
Click: https://www.iufro.org/media/iufro-spotlights/getting-everyone-on-board-to-succeed-in-forest-landscape-restoration/


Newsletters and Mailing Lists


IUFRO News in its 50th Year

In this 50th volume of IUFRO News, some highlights of early issues will be presented to remember how it all began.

IUFRO News Vol. 27, issue 1/1980, for example, takes us 40 years back when all interested forest researchers were invited to contribute to the XVII IUFRO World Congress in Kyoto, Japan, in September 1981. The theme of the Congress was "Research Today for Tomorrow's Forests”. With more than 1,300 participants from 73 countries, it was the largest Congress in IUFRO´s then 90-year history. It was also the first Congress held outside of the Western hemisphere.

The Kyoto Congress was decisive in determining IUFRO's new role in international forestry research; it placed particular emphasis on the importance of strengthening forest research in tropical regions and developing countries urging IUFRO to take a more active part in tropical forestry research.

Find out more about IUFRO's history: 125 Years of IUFRO (2017)
https://www.iufro.org/publications/general-publications/article/2017/09/20/125-years-of-iufro-published-on-the-occasion-of-iufros-125th-anniversary/


News from Division 4.00.00 - Forest Assessment, Modelling and Management

This latest issue of the Division newsletter continues to report on recent and planned activities in Division 4, the accomplishments of our members, and introduces more of our officers. Remember that we can only report the information you provide, so please continue to send information, photos, scholarship and job opportunities, and links related to Division 4 to Kristy: kristyak(at)utk.edu
https://myemail.constantcontact.com/News-from-IUFRO-Division-4.html?soid=1104566193073&aid=OItnGEbgiSQ


Latest Updates on Criteria and Indicators

Read the newsletter of the IUFRO Working Party 9.01.05 on 'Research and development of indicators for sustainable forest management' to be updated on C&I processes (Montréal Process and FOREST EUROPE), publications and activities: https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-9/90000/90100/90105/publications/


Join the e-list for IUFRO Working Party 4.02.01 Resource Data in the Tropics

You are invited to join at: https://lists.iufro.org/mailman/listinfo/wp40201/

The unit is focused on the discovery, curation and use of legacy tropical forest datasets. Much legacy data for tropical forests, including inventory and plot data, are in danger of being lost. Many tropical forest projects over the years have generated data, but the information is scattered among different institutions and people, some still only on paper, some digitized but in older formats. There is a need to develop a set of standard descriptive metadata, or a metadata scheme, for describing these datasets. This would assist not only with recovering and describing old datasets, but also ensure that future datasets can be consistently described and that their loss can henceforth be avoided.

For further information, please contact the IUFRO 4.02.01 Coordination Team: https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-4/40000/40200/40201/


Papers, Proceedings, Journals

The use of tree-related microhabitats as forest biodiversity indicators and to guide integrated forest management
By Thomas Asbeck, Josef Großmann, Yoan Paillet, Nathalie Winiger and Jürgen Bauhus
The concept of tree-related microhabitats (TreMs) is an approach to assess and manage multi-taxon species richness in forest ecosystems. This review seeks to (a) address the suitability of TreMs as biodiversity indicator in the context of retention forestry, (b) summarize drivers of TreM occurrence and the status quo of the implementation of TreM-based retention concepts in forest management, and (c) discuss current and future challenges to the use of TreMs as biodiversity indicator.
Read here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40725-020-00132-5

Chronic water stress reduces recovery of oaks after extreme drought events
To investigate the influence of groundwater removal on pedunculate oak forests and to determine whether access to groundwater might help trees to withstand and recover from extreme drought, researchers from the University of Freiburg examined the performance of oak trees growing at sites with contrasting groundwater availability including sites where groundwater extraction for industry, irrigation or domestic use has led to reduced water availability for trees over several decades.

Original publication: Skiadaresis, G., Schwarz, J., Stahl, K., Bauhus, J. (2021): Groundwater extraction reduces tree vitality, growth and xylem hydraulic capacity in Quercus robur during and after drought events. In: Scientific Reports 11, 5149: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-84322-6

Making forest and landscape restoration a success
To guide successful implementation, the Global Partnership on FLR, of which IUFRO is a member, has put forward the following principles: the conservation and enhancement of ecosystems at landscape scales, the restoration of multiple functions, the engagement of multiple stakeholders, with allowances for context dependency and adaptive management. Also, capacity building is commonly perceived as a fundamental aspect for the sustainability of project out-comes. IUFRO leads a training program of FLR facilitators to this end.

Read more in this paper entitled "Perceptions from non-governmental actors on forest and landscape restoration, challenges and strategies for successful implementation across Asia, Africa and Latin America” by Daniella Schweizer, Marijke van Kuijk, Jaboury Ghazoul, published in Journal of Environmental Management:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479721003133?dgcid=author

Proceedings: 6th International Workshop on the Genetics of Tree-Parasite Interactions: Tree Resistance to Insects and Diseases: Putting Promise into Practice
5-10 August 2018, Mt. Sterling, Ohio, USA
IUFRO units: 2.02.15, 7.03.11, IUFRO Task Force on Forests and Biological Invasions
Authors: C. Dana Nelson, Jennifer L. Koch, and Richard A. Sniezko (eds.) (2020)
Link to online file (10.9 MB, PDF):
https://www.iufro.org/fileadmin/material/publications/proceedings-archive/20215-70311-tf33-mt-sterling18.pdf

Perceptions of the forest-based bioeconomy
Read this special issue in Ambio - A Journal of the Human Environment titled 'Socio-political dimensions of forest-based bioeconomies in Europe: competing perspectives and regional disparities of bioeconomy policies'. It explores the social dimensions of the forest-based bioeconomy by focusing on discourses and perceptions of different actor groups in Europe.

Issue editors: Lea Ranacher, Ida Wallin, Lauri Valsta, Daniela Kleinschmit. An outcome of the PERFORM Project.https://link.springer.com/journal/13280/volumes-and-issues/49-12

Building green infrastructure to enhance urban resilience to climate change and pandemics
The editorial published in Landscape Ecology is based on the webinar on "Urban Green Infrastructure: How can urban green infrastructure contribute to pandemic and climate resilience?” of the "IUFRO Landscape Ecology WP Webinar Series - Emerging issues in landscape ecology” that took place last November.

Recording of webinar available at:
https://youtu.be/DACfMSfZVHQ

Pinar Pamukcu-Albers, Francesca Ugolini, Daniele La Rosa, Simona R. Grădinaru, João C. Azevedo & Jianguo Wu. Landscape Ecology volume 36, pages 665 –673(2021).
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10980-021-01212-y

Call: Justice and Power in Bioeconomy and Biosociety: A multidisciplinary perspective
Submissions are invited for a special issue of Forest Policy and Economics (IF 3.099) by 30 June 2021.
Contributions may come from the following disciplines: environmental and forest policy and governance, human geography, development and indigenous studies, political economy, political ecology, feminist political ecology, social transformations and decoloniality perspectives. Contributions should explore the concepts of social and environmental justice, power and hegemony, extractivism, discourses and politics in the context of bioeconomy and biosociety transformations. We invite contributions.
Guest authors: Sabaheta Ramcilovik-Suominen, Helga Pülzl, Wolfram Dressler, Markus Kröger, Mary Mention, Juha Hiedanpää
Details: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/forest-policy-and-economics/call-for-papers/call-for-papers-on-special-issue-justice-and-power-in-bioeco

Call: Special Issue of Forests on "Non-Wood Forest Products Management: Inventory, Planning, Governance, Marketing and Trade”
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2022
IUFRO WP 4.04.04 Sustainable Forest Management Scheduling, IUFRO Task Force Unlocking the Bioeconomy and Non-Timber Forest Products as well as the 19th Symposium on Systems Analysis in Forest Resources (SSAFR 2021) are sponsoring this Special Issue (SI) of Forests. It aims at contributing to the dissemination of research endeavors involving the development of models, methods, processes, and decision support tools to address the inventory, planning, harvesting, governance, certification, marketing, and trade of NWFPs.
Details: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/forests/special_issues/non-wood_forest_products

Call for special research topic in Frontiers in Plant Science: "Zygotic and non-zygotic embryogenesis”
Deadline for manuscript submission: 31 August 2021
Professor Jorge Canhoto (University of Coimbra, Portugal), Dr. Paloma Moncaleán (Neiker, Spain), Dr Sandra Correia (University of Coimbra, Portugal), Dr Victor M. Loyola-Vargas (CICY, Mexico) and Dr Jonny E Scherwinski-Pereira (EMBRAPA, Brazil) will serve as Topic Editors on "Zygotic and Non-Zygotic Embryogenesis: Evolutionary, Developmental and Practical Aspects”, a highly relevant topic especially for IUFRO Working Party 2.09.02 - Somatic embryogenesis and other vegetative propagation technologies.
https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/17744/zygotic-and-non-zygotic-embryogenesis-evolutionary-developmental-and-practical-aspects

Call: Special Issue of Land: "The Governance of Natural Forest Regrowth as a Restoration Option”
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2021
Special issue guest editors Dr Manuel R. Guariguata, Dr Lalisa Duguma and Dr Pham Thu Thuy are pleased to invite contribution to a Special Issue of "Land” (ISSN 2073-445X), which aims to provide a global overview of the key institutional, policy, regulatory and normative dimensions governing the process, and the socioecological outcomes, of natural forest regrowth, through either passive or assisted processes.
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/land/special_issues/governance_natural_forest_regrowth_restoration_option#info

CABI Agriculture and Bioscience
Dr Alexia Stokes of INRAE/ECOFA, France, and Deputy Coordinator of IUFRO Division 8.00.00 – Forest Environment https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-8/80000/, has joined the editorial board for the Forestry section of the open access journal CABI Agriculture and Bioscience. The Editorial Board is highly interdisciplinary to ensure that the journal is equipped with the necessary expertise to handle manuscripts of all topics within agriculture, the related biosciences and the environment. CABI A&B publishes high quality, rigorously peer-reviewed interdisciplinary research focused on agriculture, food security, and the environment.
https://cabiagbio.biomedcentral.com/about


Awards

Premi Ramon Margalef D'Ecologia
Submit nomination by 28 May 2021!
Organization: Government of Catalonia


The aim of the Premi Ramon Margalef d'Ecologia is to recognize an exceptional scientific career or discovery in the field of ecological science that has contributed to significant progress in scientific knowledge or thought, or to the development of theoretical instruments for the good management of natural resources on land or in the sea.
https://www.iufro.org/fileadmin/material/discover/nb-premi-ramon-margalef-2021.pdf


Marcus Wallenberg Prize 2021
Submit nomination by 31 May 2021!
Organization: Marcus Wallenberg Foundation


Individuals and institutions are invited to nominate candidates for the Marcus Wallenberg Prize between 1 March and 31 May 2021. The Prize is awarded for scientific achievements of importance to forestry and forest industries. The aim of the Prize is to recognize, encourage and stimulate path-breaking scientific achievements which contribute significantly to broader knowledge and/or technical development within all subjects relevant to the forest-based sector all over the world. The achievements may be of widely different characters – from forest ecosystem, conservation and management through process, product and service developments contributing to the sustainable development of society.

Detailshttp://mwp.org/
Make nomination at:https://www.mwp.org/nominate/


Position Announcements

https://www.iufro.org/discover/noticeboard/position-announcements/

PhD opportunity in forest biometrics and modelling
Open until filled!
The Forest Biometrics Lab of the University of British Columbia, Canada, invites applications for a PhD student position under the supervision of Dr Bianca Eskelson, based on the Vancouver campus. The position is part of Silva21, which is a large multi-year industry and NSERC funded project.
Details: https://forestry.ubc.ca/career-opportunities/phd-forest-biometrics-and-modelling/

Environmental bid & proposal writer
Apply by 11 April 2021
Etifor, a University of Padua spin-off, is inviting applications for the position of environmental bid & proposal writer. The successful candidate will be independent but able to support the company teams to deliver high quality grant proposals and bid documentation, managing both the administrative and technical contents.
Details: https://www.etifor.com/en/whats-going-on/environmental-bid-proposal-writer/


IUFRO Meetings

Obtain IUFRO recognition and promotion of your event!
Organizing your in-person or virtual conference, workshop, or other activity as an official IUFRO event raises its profile and allows for broader participation and recognition than it may otherwise attract. Visit the Toolbox on your Unit's webpage and find out more under "Documents for meetings”:
https://www.iufro.org/fileadmin/material/science/divisions/toolbox/iufro-recognition-and-promotion-of-your-event.pdf

For a full list of meetings go to our online calendar at: https://www.iufro.org/events/calendar/current/
Find non-IUFRO meetings on the IUFRO Noticeboard at: https://www.iufro.org/discover/noticeboard/
Search forest-related events in GFIS at:https://www.gfis.net


14 Apr 2021
Webinar on "Forests in Fukushima and Chernobyl - people, wildlife and landscape”
IUFRO 8.01.02 https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-8/80000/80100/80102/
IUFRO 8.04.07 https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-8/80000/80400/80407/
Contact: Joao Azevedo, jazevedo(at)ipb.pt
Registration: https://bit.ly/3d0rxgp

15 Apr 2021
Webinar Series - Forest Roads: Regional perspectives from around the world / Forest Roads in Asia
IUFRO 3.01.02 https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-3/30000/30100/30102/
Contact: Kevin Lyons, kevin.lyons(at)oregonstate.edu
https://www.iufro.org/fileadmin/material/science/divisions/div3/30102/webinar-series-forest-roads21-asia.pdf

16 Apr 2021
Restoring Malawi's degraded and deforested lands: Accelerating action on the ground
Online and Lilongwe, Malawi (upon invitation)
The GLFx Lilongwe Chapter is an initiative of Malawi's Centre for Applied Systems Analysis (CASA) and IUFRO:
https://www.iufro.org/science/special/spdc/netw/glfxmalawi/
The Chapter is part of the GLFx - a new digital platform for the Global Landscapes Forum:
https://glfx.globallandscapesforum.org/topics/22120/feed

5-8 May 2021
International Scientific Conference "Forestry: Bridge to the Future”
online and Sofia, Bulgaria
IUFRO 1.01.11 https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-1/10000/10100/10111/
IUFRO 1.03.01 https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-1/10000/10300/10301/
IUFRO 3.00.00 https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-3/30000/
IUFRO 9.04.04 https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-9/90000/90400/90404/
Contact: Marius Dimitrov, mariusdimitrov(at)ltu.bg
https://conf2020.forestry-ideas.info/

12 May 2021
El futuro de las plantaciones forestales en Venezuela - 60 años del inicio de plantaciones con pino Caribe en el país
Webinar in Spanish, hosted by https://www.lnpfmerida.com/
IUFRO 5.01.00 https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-5/50000/50100/
Contact: Osvaldo Encinas, osenbla(at)gmail.com
Link: https://www.lnpfmerida.com/inicio/actividades/extensi%C3%B3n/seminarios

Postponed – new date to be announced!
4th World Teak Conference 2020
Accra, Ghana
IUFRO 5.06.02 https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-5/50000/50600/50602/
Contact: P. K. Thulasidas, pktdas(at)gmail.com
https://www.worldteakconference2020.com/

New Date: 11-15 Oct 2021
Air Pollution Threats to Plant Ecosystems
Paphos, Cyprus
IUFRO 8.04.00 https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-8/80000/80400/
Contact: Pierre Sicard, pierre.sicard(at)arches-conseils.fr
https://cyprus2021.com/

23-25 Nov 2021
Sustainable Woodfuel Value Chains in Africa: Governance,
Social, Economic and Ecological Dimensions

online and Kumasi, Ghana
IUFRO 9.05.09 https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-9/90000/90500/90509/
Contact: Frank Kwaku Agyei, frankkagyei(at)yahoo.com
https://ifro.ku.dk/english/events/2021/international-woodfuel-conference/

New Date: 12-17 Sep 2022
7th IUFRO International Workshop on the Genetics of Tree-Parasite Interactions in Forestry
Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain
IUFRO 2.02.15 https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-2/20000/20200/20215/
IUFRO 7.03.11 https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-7/70000/70300/70311/
IUFRO 2.02.20, https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-2/20000/20200/20220/
IUFRO 7.02.05 https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-7/70000/70200/70205/
IUFRO 7.02.09 https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-7/70000/70200/70209/
Contact: Richard A. Sniezko, richard.sniezko(at)usda.gov
https://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-7/70000/70300/70311/activities/


Other Meetings

For more non-IUFRO meetings, please check the IUFRO Noticeboard:
https://www.iufro.org/discover/noticeboard/other-meetings-events/ 
 

16-18 Aug 2021
20th Commonwealth Forestry Conference
Online from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Deadline to submit abstracts: 30 April 2021
Contact: cfc.2021(at)ubc.ca
https://cfc2021.ubc.ca/

25-28 Oct 2021
Ecosystem Nutrition 2021
Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. Contact: Jaane Krueger,
jaane.krueger(at)bodenkunde.uni-freiburg.de
https://www.ecosystem-nutrition.uni-freiburg.de/inhalte/Dateien/Flyer_EcosystemNutrition_Oct21_IGITAL



IUFRO News Issue 3, 2021, published in early April 2021
by IUFRO Headquarters, Vienna, Austria.
Contact the editor at office(at)iufro(dot)org or visit https://www.iufro.org/

Imprint: https://www.iufro.org/legal/#c10402