IUFRO 125th Anniversary Congress Spotlight #49 – Citizen scientists around the world take to the woods in an effort to improve the health of forests
Involving the public in the scientific process is a primary objective. (Photo Pixabay)
The coordinator of a session on citizen science planned for the IUFRO 125th Anniversary Congress is aiming high.
He hopes the session will inspire discussion about the merit and potential of a global initiative on invasive forest pest monitoring, with special emphasis and resources for countries with developing economies.
The focus is on invasive species because people are major drivers of their spread. Consumer demand drives globalization and the international trade in ornamental plants, which is a major contributor to the invasive problem. Read more…
IUFRO 125th Anniversary Congress Spotlight #48 – Forest tourism can mean billions in economic benefits
Tourism and recreation should receive just as much thought, science, and funding as other forest uses. (Photo Pixabay)
Dr. Taylor Stein of the University of Florida in Gainesville believes “that any meeting that addresses the management of the world’s forests is incomplete without a focused discussion on tourism.”
While there is limited research on the impact of nature-based tourism, Dr. Stein pointed to a 2007 report from the Center for Responsible Travel that said nature-based tourism accounted for 7% of the international tourism market and had a $77 billion impact on the world’s economy.
And, he added, surveys of travelers around the world consistently show that natural attractions (e.g. wildlife) are important reasons for their visits and they value conservation and protection of environmental quality.
IUFRO 125th Anniversary Congress Spotlight #47 – Remote forest-dependent communities can benefit through social innovation
The village of Iza in Transcarpathian Ukraine is famous far beyond the region’s borders for its wicker products. Most villagers are involved in the business.
http://ukurier.gov.ua/uk/articles/selo-iza-na-zakarpatti-postachaye-virobi-z-verbi-d/
Many rural forest-dependent communities face similar challenges – lack of infrastructure, housing, and transport as well as aging populations.
When global issues such as climate change, sustainability, and energy and food security are added to the mix, the need for solutions to the challenges becomes much more pressing. Read more…
IUFRO 125th Anniversary Congress Spotlight #46 – Getting a handle on future needs of forestland owners
Private owners control nearly 70 million hectares of forestland around the globe and account for well over 50% of the forestland in many countries in Europe and North and South America.
What does the future hold for owners of forestland? (Photo Pixabay)
These owners – many of them families, individuals and other small holders – operating within social, financial and political constraints, will largely dictate the future of the forests.
That is the underlying reason for a session at the upcoming IUFRO 125th Anniversary Congress in Freiburg, Germany in September entitled: History, Findings and Future Directions of Forest Landowner Research.
Dr. Brett Butler, of the U.S. Forest Service, is coordinating the session and says: “There are numerous individual researchers and institutions that study these private owners, but the opportunities to directly compare findings and methods across countries are limited. Read more…
125 Years of International Forest Research Cooperation
An Interview with IUFRO President Mike Wingfield (published in IUFRO News Volume 46, Issue 4, 2017)
From 18-22 September 2017 IUFRO will celebrate its 125th Anniversary Congress in Freiburg, Germany. Coincidentally, the current issue of IUFRO News is the 125th edition of the electronic newsletter. This presents a perfect opportunity for an interview with IUFRO President Mike Wingfield, specifically to hear his views of the achievements of IUFRO during the past 125 years, but also what he sees as the challenges that lie ahead. Furthermore, what his hopes and expectations are for the forthcoming Anniversary Congress. Read more…
IUFROAO2016 – The Beijing Declaration
IUFRO Regional Congress for Asia and Oceania 2016
24 – 27 October 2016, Beijing, China
Forests for Sustainable Development: The Role of Research
The Beijing Declaration
IUFRO Vice-President John Parrotta presenting the Beijing Declaration. Photo: Gerda Wolfrum, IUFRO Headquarters
Future for nature-based recreation and tourism
Session I-8B(85)
Moderator: Tuija Sievänen
Thursday, 27 October 2016, 10:30-12:30 (Room 307A)
Bench under a tree. Photo: all-free-download, George Hodan
This session highlighted future prospects of research in the field of nature-based recreation and tourism programs that aim to improve recreational activities and support the positive effects of green infrastructure on health and wellbeing.
A study from Finland showed how recent changes in tourism and recreation have been driven by factors such as population growth, increasing cultural diversity, changing leisure and working time, climate change, improved economy, technological changes, transport developments, decreasing environmental quality and emerging systems of policy and governance. It is important to better understand these continuing changes and be able to predict future demands and scenarios. Read more…
Forest Adaptation and Restoration under Global Change – Asian and Oceania Perspectives
Session A-9A (65): Forest Adaptation and Restoration under Global Change – Asian and Oceanian perspectives
27 October 2016, 13:30-15:30; Room 303A
Learn more about the IUFRO Task Force on “Forest Adaptation and Restoration under Global Change”: http://www.iufro.org/science/task-forces/forest-adaptation-restoration/
This session, organised by the IUFRO Task Force on “Forest Adaptation and Restoration under Global Change”, discussed various aspects of restoring forest ecosystems under conditions found in the Asia and Oceania regions.
In the first presentation, John Stanturf (US Forest Service) explained the potential benefits that forest landscape restoration can have on mitigating as well as adapting to climate change. These included aspects such as diverse species and structures at stand scale; age classes of tree vegetation at landscape scale and connectivity. Read more…
Forests and the bioeconomy: challenges and opportunities
Elspeth MacRae delivering her keynote speech. Photo: Gerda Wolfrum, IUFRO Headquarters
Keynote speech by Elspeth MacRae, Scion, New Zealand
Read an interview with Dr. MacRae at: https://blog.iufro.org/2016/09/01/interview-with-dr-elspeth-macrae-scion-new-zealand/
Find biographic information at: http://www.iufro.org/events/congresses-regional/#c25751
The future holds tremendous challenges for the world with the increase in population probably being the largest one. As a consequence, we expect a need for a 70% increase in the amount of food available by 2050. The demographic changes and new lifestyles will put a growing pressure on the natural resources, exacerbate the effects of climate change, deplete soils and make water a scarce commodity, among other things. Read more…
Drawing on the past for a better understanding of the present and reliable predictions of the future
IUFRO AO 2016 Session Highlights: All-Division 8 Conference
D8-05 Session title: Using tree rings to study events and morphological changes: relevance, methods and recent advances in dendrogeomorphic research – RG 8.02 Forest Biodiversity
Organizer: Christoph Corona
Wednesday, 26 October 2016, Room 303B
Drawing on the past for a better understanding of the present and reliable predictions of the future
Tree rings. Photo: Geoff Roberts, USA.
Data on climate conditions of the past are vital for understanding present-day events triggered by climate change. This session looked at the two different fields, dendrochronology and landslide occurrence, on the common ground that they rely on such findings in order to shed light on factors contributing to adverse effects of climate change and to enable them to make predictions for the future. Read more…