2:45 a.m.
Dear friends and colleagues,
Cancellation of IUFRO All Division 7 Conference – “Global Change and Forest Health” in
Istanbul from 25-29 April 2016
This is addressed to all those who planned to attend the Division 7 conference in Istanbul
next month. Given the recent terrorist attacks in Ankara and Istanbul, the threat of more
attacks, and several governments now advising caution regarding visits to sites of
interest and the use of public transport, the conference organising committee has decided
to cancel (or postpone) the conference.
We have been planning this event for about five years, and a huge amount of work has gone
into its preparation by Yusuf Serengil and his colleagues, the local organisers, as well
as the scientific committee. We are very sad that it has come to this, but under the
circumstances we feel it is no longer possible to provide the conference delegates with a
worry-free event.
We were hoping that the situation in Turkey would improve or at least that Istanbul
remained free of terrorist activities; however, the opposite occurred.
Many of you will already have made travel arrangements, and we appreciate that it is
inconvenient to cancel at this stage. Yusuf Serengil and the University of Istanbul have
agreed to reimburse the registration fee (less bank charges). Travel agents, airlines and
hotels may waive or reduce cancellations fees if you point out the threat of terrorist
attacks and government travel advisories. Unfortunately, the conference organisers or
IUFRO cannot assist with this.
It is too late to change the venue to another location, while maintaining the dates.
However, the Division 7 coordinators will discuss the options for a future Division 7
conference, and we will advise you about this in the coming months. In the meantime there
will be other conferences and meetings of Division 7 working groups later this year,
including our contribution to the IUFRO Regional Congress for Asia and Oceania in Beijing
in October. We look forward to seeing you at another event this year or in the near
future.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any concerns or questions.
Best regards,
Eckehard (“Ecki”) Brockerhoff
Coordinator, IUFRO Division 7, Forest Health
On behalf of the Conference Committee
Yusuf Serengil
Faculty of Forestry, Istanbul University - Turkey
Coordinator IUFRO Working Party WP 7.01.08
Local Organizer, Conference Scientific and Organizing Committees
serengil@istanbul.edu.tr<mailto:serengil@istanbul.edu.tr>,
yserengil@yahoo.com<mailto:yserengil@yahoo.com>
Eckehard Brockerhoff
Scion (New Zealand Forest Research Institute) and
University of Canterbury, School of Biological Sciences - New Zealand
Coordinator IUFRO Division 7, Forest Health
Member of the Conference Scientific Committee
eckehard.brockerhoff@scionresearch.com<mailto:eckehard.brockerhoff@scionresearch.com>
Elena Paoletti
National Research Council
Sustainable Plant Protection Institute - Italy
Coordinator IUFRO RG 7.1, Impacts of Air Pollution and Climate Change on Forest
Ecosystems
Member of the Conference Scientific Committee
elena.paoletti@cnr.it<mailto:elena.paoletti@cnr.it>
Jolanda Roux
Tree Pathology Co-operative Programme (TPCP)
Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute - South Africa
Coordinator IUFRO RG 7.2, Pathology
Member of the Conference Scientific Committee
Jolanda.Roux@up.ac.za<mailto:Jolanda.Roux@up.ac.za>
Andrew (“Sandy”) Liebhold
US Forest Service
Northern Research Station - USA
Coordinator IUFRO RG 7.3, Entomology
Member of the Conference Scientific Committee
aliebhold@fs.fed.us<mailto:aliebhold@fs.fed.us>
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