The Resilient Future Forests Lab (RFFL) is a global network of demonstration and research plots that cover large gradients of climatic and socio-economic condition. The RFFL network provides the foundation for transforming forests, landscapes, and land use to enhance provision of ecosystem services while providing greater resilience and adaptation under future conditions.

The RFFL is a vehicle for science-society and science-practice interactions to promote more productive and sustainable forms of landscape management, by engaging with stakeholders from the forestry and agriculture sectors, land managers and investors, as well as government decision-makers.

What we hope to accomplish in the long term:

The Resilient Future Forests Lab will establish a global network of demonstration and research landscapes that documents, demonstrates, and supports implementation of innovative silvicultural and restoration methods grounded in operational practice and applied science.

Forest research in all parts of the world has a rich legacy of field trials including long-term experiments and demonstration sites covering the entire lifespan of forest stands – inter alia under the auspices of IUFRO.

Expected outputs:

A network of partners who contribute to the overall objectives of the platform, establish RFFL demonstration and research locations that address and visualise mutually accepted management objectives and criteria, and share data and information with other participants as well.

Multiple ecosystem services beyond e.g., wood production, carbon sequestration, erosion control, and biodiversity habitats may be evaluated depending upon local needs and site conditions (e.g., protection of water resources, amenity values and aesthetics, non-wood products, grazing by domestic stock, and game management).

Overall values estimated by techniques such as Total Economic Value will assist strategies, making trade-offs with full understanding of consequences.