After more than 20 years of disseminating forest-related information from around the world, the Global Forest Information Service (GFIS) operated by IUFRO and partners has come to an end. As of 31 December 2021, therefore, the GFIS website as a separate entity will no longer be available. IUFRO’s new policy will concentrate on IUFRO-generated information with the vision of creating its own online information resources centre.

While GFIS was highly innovative at its inception, and the original ideas that led to its successful establishment were exceptionally far-sighted at the time, forest information management and dissemination technologies have evolved rapidly over the last 20 years and the accessibility of freely-available forest-related information has been significantly enhanced.

Due to these developments and the establishment of powerful systems for search of and access to a wide range of scientific and other information resources, IUFRO’s new policy will concentrate on IUFRO-generated information with the vision of creating its own online information resources centre. This centre will provide information generated by IUFRO members regarding events, people, publications, and other resources for the benefits of all members, for forest scientists and professionals, and for the wider public who want to find out more about forest-related research. IUFRO will continue to share information on special topics - such as global forest education - as the need arises. 

Over the past two decades, GFIS provided a valuable contribution to facilitating knowledge sharing and fostering partnerships between knowledge producers and users in the field of forest science and forestry around the world. You can read further information about the GFIS project below and find interesting reports on project activities, results and achievements, and legacy data archived on this webpage.