Message by the IUFRO President

Dear Colleague,

I hope that this message finds you and your families in good health, that you are coping with, and adapting to, the unfortunate consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on our daily lives.

In these times, the world is reminded of the critical role of international scientific collaboration for building trust and solidarity as well as finding solutions to the shared environmental, social and economic challenges we face as a global community. IUFRO is a vital part of this knowledge network, and we remain committed to our mission to interconnect forests, science and people.

To remain vital, we may need to reexamine how IUFRO accomplishes its work, particularly the role of physical meetings which currently play such an important role. It is very encouraging that many of our officeholders and units are taking advantage of a variety of on-line options for continuing their important collaborative activities, including virtual conferencing. In this regard, we have established a dedicated space on the IUFRO blog, https://blog.iufro.org/how-i-met-my-fellow-scientists-virtually/, that will provide a space for sharing and discussion of key issues and experiences related to virtual conferencing that we hope will be valuable for all IUFRO officeholders.

The impacts of the current pandemic on our work will likely be felt long after the public health crisis has been addressed. To better understand the strategic implications for IUFRO, and chart a path forward, I would very much appreciate learning about your concerns, as well as your ideas on how we can work together to overcome the challenges we now face now and those that will be facing in the coming years.

Along with the IUFRO Secretariat and members of the IUFRO Board, I take the responsibility of facilitating your work, and the collective work of our global network of forest scientists, very seriously.

I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience, and wish you all the best in the meantime.


John Parrotta
President, IUFRO

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