4:51 a.m.
Dear IUFRO Meliaceae E-list:
IUFRO Spotlight #46 may be of interest. Other Spotlights can be found at:
http://www.iufro.org/media/iufro-spotlights/
Regards,
Sheila Ward
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: IUFRO Headquarters <office(a)iufro.org>
Date: Fri, Jul 21, 2017 at 6:16 PM
Subject: IUFRO Anniversary Congress Spotlight #46: Getting a handle on
future needs of forestland owners
To: Dear IUFRO Officeholder <mahoganyforthefuture(a)gmail.com>
[image: IUFRO Spotlight]
IUFRO Anniversary Congress Spotlight #46: Getting a handle on future
needs of forestland owners
*The 125th Anniversary Congress on 18-22 September 2017 in Freiburg,
Germany, will offer a wide selection of scientific sessions highlighting
innovative research and interdisciplinary research approaches of relevance
to forests, and focus on the transfer of scientific knowledge on critical
global forest-related challenges to national and international political
agendas. In a series of "Congress Spotlight" articles individual sessions
shall be showcased to give a foretaste of the richness and scope of
research findings that will be presented at the Congress. Keep updated at:
http://iufro2017.com/ <http://iufro2017.com/>*
*Getting a handle on future needs of forestland owners*
PDF for download
<http://www.iufro.org/download/file/26904/6513/anniversary-congress-spotlight46-forestland-owners-d3_pdf/>
<http://www.iufro.org/index.php?eID=tx_cms_showpic&file=18399&md5=50019200473caa37469645e30cd09e6cac9636f5¶meters%5B0%5D=YTo0OntzOjU6IndpZHRoIjtzOjQ6IjgwMG0iO3M6NjoiaGVpZ2h0IjtzOjQ6IjYw¶meters%5B1%5D=MG0iO3M6NzoiYm9keVRhZyI7czoyMjoiPGJvZHkgYmdjb2xvcj0iYmxhY2siPiI7¶meters%5B2%5D=czo0OiJ3cmFwIjtzOjM3OiI8YSBocmVmPSJqYXZhc2NyaXB0OmNsb3NlKCk7Ij4g¶meters%5B3%5D=fCA8L2E%2BIjt9>
*What does the future hold for owners of forestland? (Photo Pixabay)*
Private owners control nearly 70 million hectares of forestland around the
globe and account for well over 50% of the forestland in many countries in
Europe and North and South America.
These owners – many of them families, individuals and other small holders –
operating within social, financial and political constraints, will largely
dictate the future of the forests.
That is the underlying reason for a session at the upcoming IUFRO 125th
Anniversary Congress in Freiburg, Germany in September entitled: *History,
Findings and Future Directions of Forest Landowner Research*.
Dr. Brett Butler, of the U.S. Forest Service, is coordinating the session
and says: "There are numerous individual researchers and institutions that
study these private owners, but the opportunities to directly compare
findings and methods across countries are limited.
"The IUFRO Congress provides a venue in which we can facilitate a dialogue
among those who research private forest owners. It will give us a chance to
ask what common trends we are seeing and what are the differences.
"We can use this session to discuss the history of the research, synthesize
the current state and chart a path forward for forestland owner research,"
he said.
Looking to the future – though pointing out that it is difficult to
generalize on how forestland owners around the globe will manage their land
– he foresees developed countries increasing emphasis on service-oriented
management and also better incorporating the value of ecosystem services
into future management efforts.
In the developing world, he sees a need for continuing efforts to improve
livelihoods through practices such as agroforestry and emphasis on gender
issues.
He also expects that new technologies will be providing new ways for owners
to interact with their land and new ways for researchers to interact with
owners.
Going forward he expects to see greater changes for foresters rather than
forestland owners. "We need a paradigm shift, so that we look at trees
through the eyes of the owners. Foresters, and more broadly forestry, must
do a better job of meeting the needs of owners," said Dr. Butler.
"To do that, we have to overcome the inertia of forestry – we tend to do
what we've always done – and we have to do a better job of working across
disciplines; getting out of our silos," he added.
In his opinion there is also a need for more holistic studies – studying
more than just the treed part of an owner's property.
One way to move forward is to look at, and learn from, health-care
research, he said.
"The gold standard for research is the medical field. Two of their stronger
methods are longitudinal studies – tracking a group of people over an
extended period of time – and evidence-based practices, which means basing
treatments and other recommendations on science that measures actual
outcomes," Dr. Butler said.
"We have much we can learn from health care research. I think that
long-term, longitudinal studies and more reliance on evidenced-based
practices will help move us forward.
"These are the types of tools we need to use to answer some of the 'wicked'
problems we are trying to address – such as what influences landowner
decisions and what are the impacts of policies and programs," he added.
Dr. Butler believes the Congress, in addition to facilitating a dialogue
among the various researchers, will also provide an opportunity to
encourage new partnerships for facilitating future comparisons and can
potentially lead to harmonization across research efforts.
*________________________________*
*The September 18-22 Congress in Freiburg will celebrate IUFRO's 125th
anniversary. Founded in 1892 in Eberswalde Germany, IUFRO has grown to
unite more than 15,000 scientists (who cooperate in IUFRO on a voluntary
basis) in almost 700 member organizations in more than 120 countries.IUFRO
promotes global cooperation in forest-related research and enhances the
understanding of the ecological, economic and social aspects of forests and
trees. It disseminates scientific knowledge to stakeholders and
decision-makers and contributes to forest policy and on-the-ground forest
management.About 2000 scientists from 89 countries are expected to attend
the Congress. The Forest Landowner Research session in Freiburg will be one
of 172 scientific sessions that will cover a wide array of topics dealing
with various aspects of forest research.See you at the IUFRO 125th
Anniversary Congress in Freiburg, Germany!Look out for #IUFRO2017
<https://twitter.com/hashtag/iufro2017?f=tweets&vertical=default&src=hash>
on Twitter and @iufro2017 <https://www.facebook.com/iufro2017> on Facebook!*
*________________________________*
The International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) is the
only worldwide organization devoted to forest research and related
sciences. Its members are research institutions, universities, and
individual scientists as well as decision-making authorities and other
stakeholders with a focus on forests and trees.
Visit: http://www.iufro.org/
*________________________________*
*IUFRO 125th Anniversary Congress Spotlight #46, published in July 2017by
IUFRO Headquarters, Vienna, Austria.Available for download at:
**http://www.iufro.org/media/iufro-spotlights/
<http://www.iufro.org/media/iufro-spotlights/>*
*Contact the editor at office(at)iufro.org <office(a)iufro.org> or visit
http://www.iufro.org/ <http://www.iufro.org/index.php?id=104>*
If you do not wish to receive *IUFRO Spotlight* publications, please email
us at: office(at)iufro.org <office(a)iufro.org>
*Imprint: http://www.iufro.org/legal/#c18944
<http://www.iufro.org/legal/#c18944>*
