[IUFRO Div 7] IUFRO 2014 tech session 219: How does biodiversity help to manage high-value timbers and vice versa?

Dear Colleagues: Please consider submitting an abstract for an oral or poster presentation for the IUFRO 2014 World Congress Session #219 – How does biodiversity help to manage high-value timbers and vice versa? Organizers: Sheila Ward (Mahogany for the Future, Inc, Puerto Rico), Emmanuel Opuni-Frimpong (Forest Research Institute of Ghana), & Nicholas Brokaw (University of Puerto Rico) mahoganyforthefuture(a)gmail.com; eofrimpon(a)csir-forig.org.gh; nvbrokaw(a)ites.upr.edu *This session will explore diverse means by which a biodiverse environment positively impacts management of high-value timber species, and, conversely, how management for high-value species helps conserve biodiversity.* Conservation of biodiversity and management for high-value timber species can seem a contradiction. Nevertheless, the demand for these timbers will remain high, as well as an increasing need and demand for management to conserve biodiversity. Needed are ways forward to integrate these management objectives. Management of high-value timber species may help conserve both the target species and the biodiversity of the forests they inhabit. Conversely, biodiversity may contribute to the health of individual trees and populations of high-value species. We aim for a global scope, including tropical and temperate high-value timbers. Presentations might address: biodiversity and protection of high-value species from pests and pathogens, the role of plantations in biodiversity conservation, biodiversity for plantation health, enrichment planting with high value species to maintain biodiversity via intact forest instead of land use change, high-value species and the maintenance of intact forests, use of high value species for habitat rehabilitation and restoration of biodiversity, or high-value plantations as a means to reestablish biodiversity, among other topics. How might more land area devoted to high-value timber in natural forest as well as plantations may help maintain biodiversity and associated ecosystem services? Conversely, how might more intact ecosystems, as indicated by biodiversity, may help in the sustainable production of high-value species? If this is of interest, can you let me know by October 3? Guidelines and the page for abstract submission can be found at http://iufro2014.com/scientific-program/abstract-submissions/. Thanks, Sheila Ward