IUFRO is participating in two important complementary projects investigating the current status of forest education and employment globally. The two projects aim to engage students, teachers, trainers and potential employers of young forest professionals through targeted global surveys. Your contribution to these surveys is most valuable! More…

In May 2020 the Joint IUFRO-IFSA Task Force on Forest Education and the International Forestry Students' Association (IFSA) launched the Young African Forestry Professionals Publication project (YAFP). The goal of the project is to motivate young people from Africa to pursue forest-related studies and careers. More…

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, millions of children are not able to go to school. In response to this education crisis, UNEP and TED-Ed – with the support of an incredible array of educators and partner organizations – launched Earth School in April 2020. More…

Due to the COVID-19 situation the workshop on global tree mortality planned by the IUFRO Task Force on Monitoring Global Tree Mortality Patterns and Trends had to be cancelled. Instead, two online surveys have been developed, which will be followed by a series of virtual working group meetings. Find out how to participate! More…

In a new study, scientists from around the world - including IUFRO immediate past President Mike Wingfield and former IUFRO Task Force Coordinator Sandy Liebhold - warn that the threats posed by invasive alien species are increasing. They say that urgent action is required. More…

As an international group of academics with an interest in urban planning and public space – including IUFRO's Division 6 Coordinator Prof. Cecil C. Konijnendijk van den Bosch – explains it, one of the fundamental issues arising from the pandemic will be the long-term impact on the design, use and perceptions of public space. More…

Here is a report from the 11th Workshop of the FAO Silva Mediterranea Working Group on Urban and peri-urban forestry (UPF) by Fabio Salbitano. He is one of the key organizers of the Working Group and is also particularly active in IUFRO Working Party 8.01.02 - Landscape Ecology. More…

The Arbor Day Foundation has long aimed to build greener communities around the world through recognition programs like Tree City USA and Tree Campus USA. In 2019, with support from the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO), the first international recognition was launched: Tree Cities of the World. More…

In epidemiological studies, greenspaces in urban environments have been associated with physical and mental health benefits for city dwellers. According to a recent US Forest Service study, Philadelphia's goal to increase tree canopy up to 30 percent in all the city's neighborhoods could lead to significant health benefits. More…

This autumn a report will be launched on how forests and tree-based landscapes have an influence on poverty and the wellbeing of the poor! Watch a background video and meet some Global Forest Expert Panel (GFEP) members! More…

This World Bank Policy Note is a follow-up to the Global Expert Workshop on Fire and Climate Change jointly convened by the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) and the World Bank's Program on Forests (PROFOR) on July 2018 in Vienna, Austria. More…

In the brief reference is made to a 2020 study by leading economists who found green fiscal recovery packages to be the most beneficial for COVID-19 recovery and identified five policy areas in this regard, namely, clean physical infrastructure, building efficiency retrofits, investment in education and training, natural capital investment, and clean research and development. This is very relevant to the work of IUFRO.  More…

This brief recently published by FAO highlights some of the identified and perceived impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on development aspects interconnected with the forest sector, with a particular emphasis on the impacts on the production and trade of forest products. More…

Read the latest Spotlight publications and a guest blog: Spotlight #79 – A Focus on Gender Equality in Forestry;

Spotlight #78 – More Robust Strategy Needed to Combat Forest Fires in Alps; View from the Forest: the Interlinked Crises of COVID-19, Environmental Degradation & Inequity. More…

Coming Soon! Forests for Public Health (Edited by Christos Gallis and Won Sop Shin): This collection of papers highlights up-to-date findings and evidence to reveal the beneficial effects of forests on human and public health. Find further publications and calls for papers! More…

We are sad to inform the IUFRO community that the eminent Argentinian forest scientist Ing. Agr. Dr. Wilfredo H. Barrett died on 18 May 2020 at the age of 94. Dr. Barrett worked for many years with INTA, a long-standing IUFRO Member Organization, and was the IUFRO International Council Member for Argentina from 1981 to 1986. More…

The Forest Research Institute at the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) officially opened in March 2020. It is the largest forestry research group in Australia and brings together 80 experts eager to protect and restore the world's precious forest. The Director of the new USC Forest Research Institute, Professor John Herbohn, is IUFRO International Council representative for Australia. More…

Together with colleagues, Emilio Vilanova, Universidad de Los Andes, Mérida, and Postdoctoral Scholar, University of California, Berkeley, published a commentary on the uncertain future of the more than 50 permanent forest plots in Venezuela that started as early as in the 1950s. More…