Archive for November, 2016

IUFRO Spotlight #42 – Forest Education Changing to Reflect Times

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As singer-songwriter – and recent Nobel Prize winner – Bob Dylan, once said: The times, they are a-changin’.

That’s certainly true in the forest sector where challenges such as globalization, climate change and societal demands have altered how we view, study and use the forest.

Team members meet to discuss the Global Outlook on Forest Education (GOFE), research project that is one of the Task Force's major activities. Photo: Mika Rekola

Team members meet to discuss the Global Outlook on Forest Education (GOFE), research project that is one of the Task Force’s major activities. Photo: Mika Rekola

As the forest industry changes to meet new and evolving demands, so too does the focus on forest education.

Forest studies that once concentrated primarily on wood as a resource are now a rarity.  Environmental sciences, environmental management, land use, agroforestry and forest science, plus traditional forestry studies are all among today’s educational mix for those with an interest in the woods. Read more…

IUFRO Spotlight #41 – Sustainable Planted Forests to Meet Growing Global Needs

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Plantation of Olga Bay Larch at Qingyuan in Liaoning Province, China. Plantations such as these will be an important source of roundwood in the future. (Photo by John Innes, Coordinator of IUFRO Task Force on Resources for the Future: Transformation in Forest Use)

Plantation of Olga Bay Larch at Qingyuan in Liaoning Province, China. Plantations such as these will be an important source of roundwood in the future. (Photo by John Innes, Coordinator of IUFRO Task Force on Resources for the Future: Transformation in Forest Use)

The 2015 Global Forest Resources Assessments report from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) noted that “…in planted forests, a new timber resource is continuing to be created … (that will) contribute significantly not only to future wood and energy supplies but … (also to) a range of wider social and environmental benefits…”

About 25 years ago, planted forests represented 4% of the world’s forested area. Today they represent almost 7%. But that 7% provides at least one-third of the world’s timber, so their importance should not be underestimated. Read more…

IUFRO - The International Union of Forest Research Organizations