The January 2023 issue of IUFRO-Japan News features: - a Participation Report on the ALL-IUFRO CONFERENCE 2022 KOHSAKA Ryo, The University of Tokyo; - a Report on IUFRO OKINAWA 2022: Progress in Small-scale Forestry beyond the Pandemic and Global Climate Change MAEDA Chiharu, University of Hyogo; - a Participation Report on the IUFRO Okinawa 2022 HAYAFUNE Masato, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute; - Participation Report on the IUFRO Conference Division 7 – Forest Health, Pathology and Entomology Lisbon 6-9 September 2022 NAKAMURA Katsunori, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute; - Report on Participation in the 5th International Conference on Radioecology & Environmental Radioactivity in 2022 KOMATSU Masabumi, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute; - Information of "XXVI IUFRO World Congress 2024"; and - a Notice from the Secretariat.

These exceptional scholarships are awarded to Ukrainian scholars to enable them to carry out scientific research on environmental change and biodiversity loss, and/or human socio-cultural responses to them at the University of Oulu. Funding covers living costs in, and travel to/from Oulu, and is currently available for stays of up to six months. Open to researchers holding a PhD or currently enrolled in a doctoral programme. Grantees will work in Oulu, conducting research on environmental change and biodiversity loss, and/or human socio-cultural responses to them. For an application, a CV and a 2000-word research plan are required.

What do Southeast Asia – especially Malaysia and Indonesia –, Madagascar, the Andes, Central America and the Caribbean, just to name a few, have in common? They are biodiversity hotspots, so regions characterized both by exceptional levels of plant endemism (meaning species that only grow there) and a particularly vulnerable environment.

Forests support most global terrestrial biodiversity and contribute to the livelihood of billions of people, but these and other benefits are in jeopardy due to global change. This leads to questions, such as how to address the challenges of global change in forest management, given the lack of knowledge and deep uncertainty about future developments. In addition, many of the impediments to implement adaptation strategies are unknown.

This publication presents an overview of results from a global survey of 754 forestry professionals (370 researchers and educators, 227 practicing foresters, 37 policy makers, 64 administrators, and 56 with other or unspecified roles) from 61 countries across 6 continents who were interested in global change issues. These professionals were asked about their opinion regarding three different adaptation strategies: resist, adapt, and transform. Most respondents agreed that the majority of global change factors will negatively influence the ability of forests to provide desired ecosystem services. Similarly, they agreed about major challenges when implementing adaptation strategies, and specifically whether our current knowledge base is sufficient. These concerns were not limited to ecological aspects, but respondents also highlighted the need for a better appreciation of social/political and economic barriers, especially regarding transformation strategies. In addition, the response patterns, including differences due to economic status, highlight the importance of developing and evaluating adaptation strategies in a local social–ecological context.

The University of Maine's Forest Policy and Economics Lab applicants for a funded Master's-level graduate research assistant (GRA) focusing on forest biomass policy and economics, with an emphasis on producing biochar products for agricultural uses, starting in 2024. This position is supported by a USDA Agricultural Research Service grant focused on evaluating policy and economic incentives that to scale up the use of forest-based biochar in Maine. The graduate research assistant will help conduct analysis and recommendations to the State government policymakers for promoting biochar applications in Maine's agricultural industry. The preferred start date is either June or September 2024.

The international conference "The Forest factor" was held in Rome, Italy, on 6 and 7 June 2023, at the Roma Tre University, with the aim of placing the emphasis on the protection of forests, as an essential element in the fight against climate change, and on their vital importance for biodiversity, the carbon, water and energy cycles on a planetary scale.

This forum is the very first forum that focuses on forest, timber and wood technologies. Welcome are any startup and SME along the entire value chain from green biotechnology, plant breeding, reforestation, any IoT & software applications, drones, timber works, smart services & trade, game & hunting, fire incidence detection and combating technologies, machinery, construction, furniture, viscose fiber, paper & pulp, pallets, wood based heating, biocomposites, wood composites, biomass technologies, wood recycling, wood surface protection (varnishes) and forest related services, smart cities green(ing)s and park, facade greening, roof gardening ... looking for funding, clients, joint ventures or just for a professional PR & marketing opportunity.

UF IFAS School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences SFFGS is excited to announce the launch of our new non-credit online Agroforestry short course!

This specialization from the University of Florida Department of Forest, Fisheries and Geomatics Sciences presented by leading experts in the field, is a five-module program covering the various aspects of agroforestry including the global distribution of the practices, their underlying principles, and major scientific advances during the past nearly five decades. Students will gain extensive knowledge and skills related to agroforestry systems, best practices and scientific management that can be useful in promoting their professional development and sharpening their land management skills.

This five-part short course, offered by SFFGS and available through the UF/IFAS Extension Online Learning catalog or by subscription in Coursera, is designed to equip students with invaluable knowledge and practical skills on agroforestry from around the world. By enrolling in this program, students will learn about tools for professional growth and effective land management practices!

The Center for Natural Carbon Capture at Yale University is accepting applications for its Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. The mission of the Center is to foster research on carbon capture and greenhouse gas reduction that will contribute to the design and implementation of climate solutions. We welcome applicants with research interests across the full range of disciplines related to the Center’s three focal areas: Ecological and Biological Carbon Capture; Geological and Ocean Carbon Capture, and Industrial Carbon Utilization. Candidates need to identify and contact faculty with the relevant expertise to discuss their proposed project and ensure the faculty member is willing and able to host them. Faculty hosts can be from any school/department at Yale, including the School of the Environment, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and any relevant department within the Faculty of Arts Sciences. Applications lacking a letter of support from a potential Yale faculty host will not be considered.

The 2023 Marcus Wallenberg Prize is awarded to Drs Darius M. Adams, Joseph Buongiorno and Richard Haynes for their development of the original and groundbreaking forest economic models TAMM and PAPYRUS and its extension to the global forest products model GFPM.

Dr. Buongiorno also won the IUFRO Scientific Achievement Award in 2005. Dr. Hayes coordinated former IUFRO Research Group 6.1.600 - Forest Sector Analysis.

The Marcus Wallenberg Prize 2023 will be presented by HM the King of Sweden at a ceremony in Stockholm in November this year.