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The year 2025 started with the launch of the new IUFRO website. Thi= s comprehensive update marks a significant step forward in supporting forest = science and fostering global collaboration across the IUFRO network.
This collaboration happens mainly in IUFRO's thematic structure. While the= nine Divisions - permanent thematic units with their Research Groups and Wor= king Parties - and one Task Force from the previous term continued to focus o= n their core topics, twelve new Task Forces addressing emerging cross-cutting= issues started their work in pursuit of their goals through to the next IUFR= O World Congress in 2029 in Nairobi, Kenya. Many of the network activities ar= ound the world are highlighted in this Annual Report.

The first ye= ar after an IUFRO World Congress is also the first full year of a new IUFRO B= oard, which traditionally meets in Vienna, Austria, where the IUFRO Headquart= er is located.=C2=A0

At the Vienna Board meeting in May the Guidin= g Principles of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion were approved. These are vita= l to the global science community and fundamental to IUFRO's overall mission = of advancing forest science for the benefit of all.=C2=A0

The Boar= d also officially approved the formation of a new Mentorship Committee, a for= ward-looking initiative designed to promote professional growth.=C2=A0
<= br />Furthermore, the Board approved the new Regional Science-Policy Informat= ion Networks (SPIN), an activity which follows the Directors' Forum and aims = to enhance collaboration between heads of institutions and research organizat= ions and policy actors in regions. The first two regional networks were estab= lished in Africa and Europe.

In June the IUFRO Science-Policy Prog= ramme (SciPol) presented its global assessment on Forests for Social and Econ= omic Resilience and the related policy brief.=C2=A0

And in Septemb= er, a key highlight of the IUFRO Special Programme for Development of Capacit= ies (IUFRO-SPDC) was a three-day workshop back-to-back with the 5th World Tea= k Conference in India, where early-career scientists learned about how scienc= e can best contribute to the restoration of degraded forest landscapes.