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In Season 3=C2=A0of Branching out: the forest podcast= , we explore how scientists in IUFRO collaborate across disciplines to tackle= emerging topics through Task Forces. We continue the Season with the Task Fo= rce on=C2=A0Stand Complexity in Plan= ted Forests and explore the resilience and value of planted fo= rests, and the need to address common misconceptions.

Host Gerd= a Wolfrum from IUFRO Headquarters and co-host=C2=A0Clarissa Chimeremez= e Enyi, Nigeria, from the International Forestry Students' Association (I= FSA), spoke with Task Force co-leads Christophe Orazio, Institut Europ= =C3=A9en de la For=C3=AAt Cultiv=C3=A9e (IEFC), France, and Tim Payn, = Bioeconomy Science Institute Maiangi Taiao, New Zealand.

Planted f= orests result from human intervention and are always established with a purpo= se; they are 'raised to solve problems', as Clarissa=C2=A0Chim= eremeze=C2=A0put it. Two thirds of the world's planted forests are m= anaged to produce goods such as timber, non-wood forest products, pulp and fi= ber, and bioenergy. With only 7% of the global forest area, they contribute t= o almost half of the industrial roundwood supply worldwide; and the global de= mand for wood products is expected to triple by 2050! Planted forests also pr= ovide other ecosystem services such as soil protection, carbon sequestration,= water quality and habitat for wildlife.

While planted forests are= extremely valuable, they are also exposed to serious challenges, just like n= atural forests. Climate change is a major driver as it causes hotter, drier w= eather, more intense storms, more frequent fires and more amenable conditions= for pests and diseases. Christophe Orazio=C2=A0said,= "There is a dominant hypothesis stating that large areas of mono-specific= regular stands are more sensitive to many hazards. The Task Force exp= lores the increase of stand complexity =E2=80=93 by mixing species and age, i= ntroducing hedge rows, etc. =E2=80=93 to find out what level of complexity im= proves resilience, what is sustainable and remains profitable."

Planted forests are often perceived negatively, a view that is not necessar= ily grounded in fact. There is a need to better understand why those percepti= ons are there and how to change them. "The key to helping people understan= d planted forests better is really good communication and also making it huma= n", said=C2=A0Tim Payn. With a view to the IUFRO World C= ongress in Nairobi in 2029, he added, "I'm looking to see how we can incre= ase understanding, come up with new approaches potentially to manage all the = trade-offs between economics and the ecology and the environment and people, = which is extremely important, so that we can keep planted forests moving, but= in a resilient way."

Tune in to=C2=A0Branching Out: the forest podcast! Listen on=C2=A0 Spotify=C2=A0and=C2=A0Apple Podcasts, and don't forget to follow us!