Read the latest issue of IUFRO-Japan News and learn more about the IUFRO World Congress to be held on 23-29 June 2024 in Stockholm, Sweden, IUFRO Research Group 3.08.00 and many other interesting things.

The Royal Society Publishing Photography Competition highlights the power of photography in capturing the scientific phenomena around us, and the role great images play in making science accessible to a wide audience. This year's competition will be held in collaboration with the Royal Photographic Society. Participants have the chance to win an overall prize of £1,000, a full Article Processing Charge (APC) waiver, and the opportunity to be featured on the cover of a Royal Society journal. All category winners will receive a certificate from the Royal Photographic Society and a one-year Royal Photographic Society Membership.

This issue of the German newsletter has focus on the IUFRO World Congress in Stockholm, presenting the new IUFRO President, highlighting participation from German-speaking countries, and more…

Rita Sousa-Silva and colleagues have reviewed commonalities and differences between Agroforestry and Urban Forestry: Agroforestry and urban forestry have evolved mainly as separate disciplines, although they share a long history of tree cultivation in man-made environments. Here, they review their common threads, exploring how trees in both systems interact with and shape their environments. They examine common themes and methodologies – ranging from tree growth dynamics to environmental stressors, ecosystem services provision, and questions of governance – and identify opportunities for synergies between these fields. They emphasize the potential of agroforestry and urban forestry for enhancing multifunctional landscapes. Geographical divides in research are evident, with agroforestry predominantly studied in the Global South and urban forestry receiving more attention in the Global North. However, significant research gaps provide avenues for collaboration, for instance, addressing challenges in capturing the monetary and socio-cultural value of ecosystem services and environmental justice considerations. In light of the growing need for integrated approaches in addressing contemporary challenges, from climate change mitigation and adaptation to community well-being, our review explores what these research fields can learn from each other and provides recommendations for fostering greater interdisciplinary dialogue and new avenues for collaborations in a meaningful and synergistic manner, aiming to advance policy, research, and practice in agroforestry and urban forestry.

IUFRO, the International Union of Forest Research Organizations, headquartered in Vienna, Austria, is hiring a Project Manager to start on 1 October 2024. Candidates should ideally be early- to mid-career professionals holding a Master’s degree (or higher) in Forest Sciences or Economic Studies, Political Science, Law, Natural Resources Management, International Relations, or related disciplines; with a minimum experience of three years. Work experience with European Union policies and institutions is desirable.

The Project Manager will be responsible for the conceptual development, operational planning and implementation of regional activities within the Science-Policy Programme and will be reporting to the Programme Coordinator. Additionally, the Project Manager will be working closely with the IUFRO President on strategic organisational development with focus on diversity issues within the IUFRO network.

This part-time (36 hours/week) position in an international environment requires flexible management of assigned tasks and the ability to independently structure one's own work.

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.

The Agroforestry Innovation and Climate Entrepreneurship (AFICE) Summit serves as a premium platform for individuals passionate about agroforestry and climate entrepreneurship. This event will bring together extraordinary minds and luminaries within the field to engage in thought-provoking discourse and valuable networking opportunities. This cutting-edge Summit fosters knowledge exchange, innovation, and collaboration among attendees, inspiring them to push the boundaries of agroforestry and climate entrepreneurship—a transformative pathway in sustainable agricultural and forestry practices.

The event encapsulates visionary keynotes, enlightening panel discussions and insightful case studies focused on bolstering holistic development within this agroforestry and climate spaces. With its avant-garde approach, the Agroforestry Innovation and Climate Entrepreneurship (AFICE) Summit attracts forward-thinking professionals and enthusiasts alike. Gaining tremendous traction locally and internationally, this Summit intends to create ripples of actionable change, inviting self-styled custodians of the earth's future to devise and discuss sustainable solutions to ecological and social challenges. Attendees will, undoubtedly, come away motivated to revolutionize agricultural and forestry systems and make significant strides towards combating climate change. Unleashing avenues for growth and exchange of groundbreaking ideas, this Summit is a magnet for proactive minds intrigued by the vast possibilities agroforestry and climate entrepreneurship present.

This course, developed by gender experts, compiles research, case studies and practical recommendations from leading institutions engaged in forest landscape restoration. In this self-paced online course, you will learn the fundamentals of gender and social inclusion in forest landscapes restoration (FLR). The course focuses on gender inequalities, gender-differentiated impacts and opportunities to address inequalities for more equitable and sustainable FLR, to build the abilities and understanding of diverse stakeholders on the gender and FLR nexus.

FORWARDS will launch around five grant calls with a total value of EUR 6 million to fund 50 projects to set up the ForestWard Observatory. In the first round of grant calls to be launched in July, five projects will be funded for establishing new Climate-Smart forestry and forest restoration trials. Each project will be granted with up to EUR 150,000. Successful applications will result in projects that are expected to commence around the beginning of 2024, with a duration of maximum 18 months. Subsequently during the year and until the project end, FORWARDS will launch many more calls to fund projects across different themes.

In case if you are an organisation working in Climate-Smart Forestry, watch out for the launch at the end of July. The call will be published on EFI’s grants webpage.