International Union of Forest Research Organizations

Canopy Watch wishes to thank the IUFRO for the open availbility of this conference. Our team watch the panel discussions live and were about to field question from 10,000 miles away.

Realignment of forestry objectives towards forest and landscape restoration will play a key role in achieving global restoration targets, sustainable development goals, and targets of major international conventions

Dr Robin Chazdon at the 2017 Congress for the International Union of Forest Research Organizations

IUFRO prides itself on being one of the world’s oldest international scientific organizations. When IUFRO was established in 1892 by the forestry research institutes of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, these founding members shared the conviction that scientific research needed to be an international activity. Almost 125 years later, we are able to state with pride that this vision of our founding members has not only materialized, but has achieved a level I am sure they would not have dreamed possible. Today IUFRO unites over 15,000 scientists in more than 120 countries from virtually every part of the world. The thematic spectrum of IUFRO’s activities is equally unparalleled and includes more than 250 scientific units. The unique qualities of IUFRO as a networking organization are also well-reflected through the more than 70 IUFRO-sponsored meetings held every year around the globe.

Our 125^th Anniversary Congress in Freiburg will not only celebrate the accomplishments of the past. It will also establish a dialogue on the future of forestry and forest research. These discussions will focus on globally pressing topics such as how to enhance the contribution forest research will need to make towards mitigating climate change, conserving biodiversity, providing water, creating income and employment, and improving the quality of life. Issues such as how changes and disruptions in society and technologies are likely to impact on forests and people in the future will also be discussed.