Welcome to Vancouver in 2017! The 2017 IUFRO All-Division 5 (Forest Products) Conference will be held in Vancouver, Canada from June 12th to 16th, 2017. The Conference is organized jointly by IUFRO Division 5, the Faculty of Forestry at the University of British Columbia, FPInnovations, and the Society of Wood Science and Technology. Cognizant of the pressing global need for the forest sector to be a leader in sustainability, diversification, and innovation, the theme of the 2017 IUFRO Division 5 Conference is: Forest Sector Innovations for a Greener Future. This Innovation/Sustainability theme will form a unifying basis for the week-long Conference and will guide the agenda through a series of plenary sessions that will catalyze discussion on what the future forest products sector might look like. Each morning will feature two keynote presentations; one a research-based talk featuring a prominent academic, the other a more pragmatic, real-world talk featuring a prominent practitioner from industry, government, civil society, or an indigenous community. The plenary topics include: Forest Sector Innovation; How can innovative forest sector based environmental and social approaches assure a greener future for our global society? Innovations in Forest Products and Services; How will fibre and forests be used in the near- and long term (focus on bioenergy, biomaterials, biofuels, biochemicals, carbon and non-timber forest products)? Innovations in Wood Building and Design; What will the next generation’s needs for shelter and buildings be and how will they be met? Innovations in Forest Management, Policy and Markets; Will there be enough biomass and sustainable products to support the growing global population? Innovations in Business Models and Management: What will the businesses of forestry look like in the near and long-term? Please find the link to the website for this conference here: www.iufro2017.ca. Please note that there will be other information added to the website at a later date once it becomes available (such as registration information, accommodation information, more info on Vancouver, post-conference trips, etc.). Please note that the Call for Technical Session Proposals is now open (Deadline March 30, 2016)! Best Wishes, Dr. Rob Kozak Chair, Local Organizing Committee Professor, UBC Faculty of Forestry ___________________________________ cid:ii_1451c29206e0efa7 Jorma Neuvonen Director, Special Projects Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia 2618-2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4 Canada Tel: +1 604-822-2807 Fax: +1 604-822-8645 Email: <mailto:jorma.neuvonen@ubc.ca> jorma.neuvonen(a)ubc.ca Web: <http://www.forestry.ubc.ca/> www.forestry.ubc.ca