PDF for download

In the coming decades, forests will play a major role in our planet’s carbon cycle and in our efforts to manage the amount of carbon in the atmosphere.

Getting a better understanding of whether that role might be good (a sink, absorbing carbon) or bad (a source, adding carbon to the atmosphere), motivated a study by Yude Pan and colleagues, recently published in Science Express.

The study identifies global forests as the major terrestrial carbon sink (as opposed to grasslands, peatlands or agricultural lands). It is the first such study to base conclusions on forest inventory and land cover data instead of simulation results.

Using data from around the world, the Pan study shows the distribution of carbon sources and sinks, the importance of temperate and boreal forests as sustained sinks and the enormous fluxes (sources and sinks) contributed by tropical forests.

But overall, the study shows the forests’ role, at least for now, is positive. They are carbon sinks.

As sinks, they currently absorb about 27% of the 8 billion tons of fossil fuel emissions we emit yearly – giving us an arboreal discount on emissions. Factor in oceans and other terrestrial ecosystems and the total absorption rate goes up to over 50%. Without these natural sinks, the rate of CO2 increase in the atmosphere would be substantially higher.

But part of the reason for this forest sink rests with some one-time occurrences: recovery of European temperate and boreal forest following intensive land use; transformation of large tracts of Eastern European and Russian agricultural land that were abandoned and have since reverted to forest and, in China, some 40 million ha of afforestation – land that had been used for other purposes or was just barren and has now been turned back into forest. It would be difficult to find that kind of spare land again, so that situation is not likely to reoccur. That will make it more difficult to maintain the current sink into the future.

And, should climate change advance too far and forests and other terrestrial ecosystems transform from carbon sinks to carbon sources and begin pumping vast quantities of carbon into the atmosphere, human efforts to mitigate climate change could be overwhelmed.

Having and sharing solid forest inventory data and continuing robust forest monitoring, will help us understand the forests’ role in the carbon cycle. That’s important, because there seem to be two vastly different possible responses.

On the optimistic side is a scenario where, in a warmer world, trees will grow faster, enjoy a longer growing season, flourish in areas where they had never before grown, take in more carbon and increase the carbon sink.

The more pessimistic view is that warmer temperatures will mean more forest fires, more insect depredation, more dead and dying trees, more peatland decomposition, thawing permafrost and the transformation of terrestrial ecosystems into carbon sources.

We can’t say with any certainty which path the forests will follow. But we know that the global track record on carbon emissions isn’t great. From 2000-2009 carbon in the atmosphere rose by 4.1 billion tons a year. And in 2010, global carbon emissions increased by 5.9%, the highest annual increase on record. We seem to be heading in the wrong direction at an accelerating pace.

We must do what we can to change or, at the least, mitigate that trend. Forests, and our knowledge of their response to climate change, are critical to accomplishing that.

The full study, A Large and Persistent Carbon Sink in the World’s Forests, can be found at:
http://www.globalcarbonproject.org/products/publications.htm.

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Media Contact

Robert Jandl: +43-1-87838 ext. 1120 or robert.jandl(at)bfw.gv.at
Gerda Wolfrum: +43 1 877 0151 17 or wolfrum(at)iufro.org

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Related Links

Study: A Large and Persistent Carbon Sink in the World’s Forests: http://www.globalcarbonproject.org/products/publications.htm

IUFRO Division 8.00.00 – Forest Environment: http://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-8/80000/

IUFRO Spotlights main page, http://www.iufro.org/media/iufro-spotlights/

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Photo Credits

Photo 1: Rain forest in Costa Rica. Photo by Judith Stöger-Goiser, IUFRO Headquarters
Photo 2: Delegates of the 4th International Poplar Symposium in China inspecting a Populus deltoides propagation nursery in Jiangsu Province. Photo by Brian Stanton, Coordinator of IUFRO Working Party 2.08.04

By Eckehard Brockerhoff, IUFRO Deputy Coordinator of Division 7
(SCION, New Zealand)

PDF for download

In a provocative attempt to save the world’s forests, a group of 70-plus scientists from 17 countries are asking trade policy makers around the globe to phase out such international trade in high-risk plants that put forest health at high risk while offering limited economic benefit.

If the scientists’ proposal is implemented, it would mean an end to all international trade in containerized ornamental plant seedlings and trees intended as plants for instant landscape planting.

This particular trade segment, the scientists say, is of little benefit in terms of countries’ overall economies but provides easy pathways for dispersal of tree pests and diseases. The scientists also suggest that international trade in other plant materials such as wood packaging and wood chips should be more strictly regulated and scrutinized.

A driving force behind the proposal is an unprecedented rise in the number of alien diseases and pests emerging in natural and planted forests worldwide.

In a supplement to their declaration they have included many examples of pests and diseases introduced through international trade that have caused, or are causing, immense economic and environmental damage in countries where they have been newly introduced.

Among the examples are: the pinewood nematode in Europe and North America; the emerald ash borer in North America and Russia; and the Sycamore-killing Ceratocystis plantani fungus in Mediterranean countries.

While the proposal by the scientists may seem a Draconian solution, and one that flies in the face of prevailing ideas of global free trade, there is unanimity among the community of forest pathologists about the devastating consequences of international and long-distance trade in live plants and some other plant materials.

These concerned scientists point out that current protocols used to regulate pest and disease dispersal have been largely ineffective and the only efficient way to reduce these risks is to reduce, and eventually end, this particular trade.

The forest scientists developed their proposal following a IUFRO meeting in Spain earlier this year. It is articulated in a document they entitled the Montesclaros Declaration.

The complete Montesclaros Declaration can be found at: http://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-7/70000/publications/montesclaros-declaration/.

Individuals who wish to express their endorsement can send an email to noliveplants(at)gmail.com with contact information (address, etc).

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Media Contact

Eckehard Brockerhoff: +64-3-364 2949 or eckehard.brockerhoff(at)forestresearch.co.nz
Gerda Wolfrum: +43 1 877 0151 17 or wolfrum(at)iufro.org

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Related Links

The Montesclaros Declaration: http://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-7/70000/publications/montesclaros-declaration/
IUFRO Working Party 7.02.02 – Foliage, shoot and stem diseases: http://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-7/70000/70200/70202/
IUFRO Division 7 – Forest Health: http://www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-7/70000/
Endorsement of Montesclaros Declaration: noliveplants(at)gmail.com

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Photo Credits

Photo 1:  Mycosphaerella dearnessii on Pinus uncinata: Solitary tree with severe infestation in the lower part of the crown in Lower Austria, June 2010. Photo by Marion Kessler
Photo 2:  Platanus X acerifolia (London plane) killed by Ceratocystis platani. Photo by Paolo Capretti

By Su See Lee, IUFRO Vice-President
(FRIM, Malaysia)

PDF for download

A new book invites forest scientists to think outside the box – or, perhaps outside the laboratory – and make more of an effort to incorporate elements of traditional knowledge in their research and forest management activities.

The book, Traditional Forest-Related Knowledge: Sustaining Communities, Ecosystems and Biocultural Diversity, published by Springer just this month, takes a long look at the contribution traditional knowledge has made and continues to make to sustainable resource management around the world.

Seventy-six authors from all corners of the globe contributed to the book.

At its heart is the belief that there is still much to be learned about sustainable forest management from local and indigenous peoples who have, for many generations, managed their forest resources in a sustainable manner – especially in areas of high biodiversity and in developing mitigation strategies to cope with changing climate.

For a variety of reasons, much of this knowledge is being lost and that is something that should not be allowed to happen.

The book’s authors indicate that this knowledge needs to be recognized and that the people who have it need to be brought into the conversation – currently they are often excluded – and respected for what they know. The writers encourage the scientific community to pay more attention to this information and knowledge and, where appropriate, to lend their support.

Knowledge of climate and its vagaries, weather forecasting, observations on plant growth and animal behavior, among other things, have all been of direct and fundamental importance to the livelihoods and wellbeing of these local and indigenous groups.

So, over countless years they have developed approaches for managing biodiversity and coping with changing environmental conditions that most researchers, forest managers and policy makers don’t know about.

The authors believe that some of that knowledge can – and should – inform the future planning of more of our science-based forest management plans and schemes.

The book contains sections dealing with various aspects of traditional knowledge in North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Australia-Pacific regions and covers topics such as: key policy issues; ethics; best practices; regional and international programs; and the importance of traditional knowledge for food security, conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and cultural identity.

For more information about  please go to: http://www.springer.com/life+sciences/ecology/book/978-94-007-2143-2

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IUFRO Spotlight is an initiative of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations. Its aim is to introduce, in a timely fashion, significant findings in forest research from IUFRO member organizations and/or involving IUFRO officeholders to a worldwide network of decision makers, policy makers and researchers.

IUFRO will encapsulate, and distribute in plain language, brief, topical and policy-relevant highlights of those findings, along with information on where/how to access the full documents. The IUFRO Spotlight findings will be distributed in a periodic series of emails as well as blog postings.

The findings reported here are submitted by IUFRO Member Organizations. IUFRO is pleased to highlight and circulate these findings to a broad audience but, in doing so, acts only as a conduit. The quality and accuracy of the reports are the responsibility of the member organization and the authors.

Suggestions for reports and findings that could be promoted through IUFRO Spotlight are encouraged. Please send them to: wolfrum(at)iufro.org. To be considered, reports should be fresh, have policy implications and be applicable to more than one country.

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Media Contact

John Parrotta: +1 703 605 4178, jparrotta(at)fs.fed.us
Gerda Wolfrum: +43 1 877 0151 17 or wolfrum(at)iufro.org

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Related Links

Information about Traditional Forest-Related Knowledge: Sustaining Communities, Ecosystems and Biocultural Diversity:
http://www.springer.com/life+sciences/ecology/book/978-94-007-2143-2

IUFRO Task Force on Traditional Forest Knowledge:
http://www.iufro.org/science/task-forces/traditional-forest-knowledge/

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Photo Credits

Photo 1:  Tapping of resin by local people in Cambodia – Ly Chou Beang & Lao Sethaphal
Photo 2:  House of land God located in the village grove of Seongnam-ri, Shinlim-myeon, Wonju City, South Korea – Youn Yeo-Chang

By Niels Elers Koch, President, IUFRO
(Copenhagen University, Denmark)

PDF for download

In addition to increasing our understanding of the world in which we live, there can be – and often are – important policy implications for our research findings. And we know very well that good sustainable forest management decisions can only be made based on sound science.

For that reason, IUFRO is embarking on a new initiative called IUFRO Spotlight to introduce timely, significant forest research findings from our member organizations to a worldwide network of policy makers, other decision makers and researchers.

Brief, topical and policy-relevant highlights of findings from our member organizations, along with information on where/how to access full reports will be distributed by IUFRO through a periodic series of emails as well as blog postings.

These excerpted, plain language articles will give more immediate exposure to our member organizations’ important findings to those who would be in positions to use the information to implement new and improved policies, as well as reaching our more traditional research audience.

IUFRO will act only as a conduit in presenting the findings. Quality and accuracy will be the responsibility of the authors and the member organizations.

The first in the series of IUFRO Spotlights will be coming to you on Wednesday, 23 November 2011. So stay tuned. We look forward to your feedback on the initiative.

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IUFRO Spotlight is an initiative of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations. Its aim is to introduce, in a timely fashion, significant findings in forest research from IUFRO member organizations and/or involving IUFRO officeholders to a worldwide network of decision makers, policy makers and researchers.

IUFRO will encapsulate, and distribute in plain language, brief, topical and policy-relevant highlights of those findings, along with information on where/how to access the full documents. The IUFRO Spotlight findings will be distributed in a periodic series of emails as well as blog postings.

The findings reported here are submitted by IUFRO Member Organizations. IUFRO is pleased to highlight and circulate these findings to a broad audience but, in doing so, acts only as a conduit. The quality and accuracy of the reports are the responsibility of the member organization and the authors.

Suggestions for reports and findings that could be promoted through IUFRO Spotlight are encouraged. Please send them to: wolfrum(at)iufro.org. To be considered, reports should be fresh, have policy implications and be applicable to more than one country.

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Media Contact

Gerda Wolfrum: +43 1 877 0151 17 or wolfrum(at)iufro.org

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Related Links

IUFRO Spotlights main page, http://www.iufro.org/media/iufro-spotlights/

IUFRO Spotlight #1:  PDF for download

Professor Mike Wingfield, IUFRO Vice-President for Divsions

Interview with Michael Wingfield, IUFRO Vice-President for Divisions

Q.: Professor Wingfield, as Director of the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute FABI (see IUFRO Featured Members Section: http://www.iufro.org/featured-member-of-the-month/article/2011/09/22/forestry-and-agricultural-biotechnology-institute-fabi/) based at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, you are at the forefront of forest research. What are the major challenges underpinning successful forest research today?

I have the privilege to lead a very exciting research institute that has a strong focus on various aspects of forestry genetics, biotechnology and tree health.  What I think is important to recognize is that forestry is an incredibly broad discipline and the forefront of research in forestry stretches across the biological and natural sciences, engineering and the social sciences.  In this respect, it is difficult to clearly define forest research, let alone understand the forefronts of research in this field.

One of the beauties of IUFRO is that across the nine Divisions, it is possible to capture the cutting edge of research across this incredibly broad front.  Our challenges are many.  Forestry has in many parts of the world been pushed aside as being relatively low key.  I think that this is unfortunate as some fabulous science is being conducted in fields that might broadly be defined as forestry.  In my view, our challenge is to publish in the best journals linked to our specific disciplines, yet also proudly see ourselves as researchers in forestry.  In this way, we will succeed in drawing the best students to forest research and ensure that the discipline grows and flourishes in the future.  IUFRO has a special part to play here.

Q.: As a forest protection specialist, you are involved in research projects not only in South Africa but worldwide. Why is international cooperation important for you as a scientist and for your institute as a forest research organization?

At least in the field of forest pathology and forest entomology – FABI includes various other forestry disciplines – we face huge challenges in terms of new pests and pathogens being moved around the world.  As worldwide trade and travel increases, we see pests and pathogens moving with wood products, plant germplasm (seeds and planting material) and importantly through the nursery trade.  For example, the so called “plants for planting” trade is a huge threat to the world’s forests, forestry and global biodiversity.

In order to understand these threats, one must rely very strongly on a network of colleagues in many parts of the world who are aware of the pests and pathogens present in their countries.  Collaborative research with a global reach provides one of the strongest means to study and better understand the risks and trends relating to tree pests and pathogens.  I have been very privileged, together with my colleagues and students, to work on tree health projects in many different parts of the world.  This has added great value and breadth to our research.  From the personal point of view, I can think of nothing more pleasant than to work with and get to know people from different language and cultural backgrounds.

Q.: You have been associated with IUFRO for many years, first participating in Working Party activities in the late 1970′s.  What were your expectations and what were the milestones on your way to becoming Vice-President of this global network of forest science cooperation?

I was drawn to IUFRO by one of my early mentors and a wonderful forest pathologist Dr. Ian Gibson.  We had no email in those days but in a letter to me from London, he suggested that I would “benefit” from being involved in a Working Party that he led.  I had little idea what he meant at that time but his advice was incredibly valuable to me.  My association with IUFRO, participating in Working Party meetings enabled me to meet other researchers and to participate in an amazing global network of friends and collaborators. As the years passed and I became involved in the management of IUFRO at different levels, I have had the opportunity to meet great people who have provided me with support and exposed me to the broader forest research community.  I am convinced that my association with IUFRO has advanced my career substantially, and I can see it doing the same for my younger colleagues and students.

Q.: IUFRO’s scientific work has traditionally been organized in so-called “Divisions”, reflecting the major branches of forest science, with Research Groups and Working Parties where scientists get actively involved. How do you see the role of these “Divisions” and can they respond to current trends and needs in forest research?

The Divisions of IUFRO have grown organically with groups being added as disciplines related to forestry grow and change. IUFRO is flexible and inclusive, allowing easy incorporation of new areas of research.  Some would argue that the Divisional structure is quite rigid and difficult to change. But at least in my experience over the last 30 years working at various levels of IUFRO, many changes have been made and I don’t think that there are areas that we are not dealing with.

Having said that, IUFRO’s strength lies at the grass roots and it is in many ways a “bottom up” type organization.  The power lies in the Working Parties and the research initiatives that members of Working Parties undertake.  I have often been very surprised at the “energy” that exists at the Working Party level, in many cases having been active for decades. As Vice President for the Divisions, I have been reminded of this energy.  Having attended a number of WP meetings recently, I have little question that IUFRO and its Divisions respond well to current trends in Forest Research.  I think it is also important to remember that IUFRO’s core focus lies in research and there is no other single organization performing the same role.

Q.: As Vice-President for Divisions, do you have any suggestions on how to make the work in the Divisions even more efficient so as to increase the visibility and impact of achievements?

There is much that I could say in response to this question.  Division Coordinators have worked exceedingly hard in recent years to boost their activities and to promote their activities.  There is always space for greater efficiency but it is important to recognize that all of those researchers participating in IUFRO at every level including leadership of Divisions, Research Groups and Working Parties do this voluntarily. Given this fact, it is quite amazing how many IUFRO Working Party and other meetings are held every year.

I think we could use the internet more efficiently to promote our impact.  A key start has been to establish internet list servers that are increasingly being used by IUFRO members to communicate with each other.  Certainly in Division 7 Forest Health, where I have had greatest experience, we would be lost without FORPATH, FORENT and FORCLIMAIR.  Another area that I think we could be more efficient is in our responsiveness to new and important developments. There are various plans afoot to add value here.

Q.: Your term of office will last until the next IUFRO World Congress in October 2014 in Salt Lake City, USA. What do you hope for IUFRO in particular and forest research in general to have achieved by then?

We have an important new strategy that will underpin our key activities up until the next World Congress.  A hugely important element of this strategy has been to establish Task Forces to deal with each of the key elements of the strategy.  Work is well underway with many activities planned and I know that Divisions are already closely engaged in participating in the activities of the new Task Forces. My hope is that by the end of our – all too short – four year term, we will have made substantial progress in understanding and promoting our six thematic areas underpinned by the Task Forces.  These are surely the most important issues facing forestry today – Climate Change, Biodiversity and Conservation, Water Interactions, Future Resources, Bioenergy and the importance of Forests for People.

I will add to this a matter close to my own heart and great hope that we have had for many years.  This is to promote forest research in Africa. Towards this end, we will hold the first ever major IUFRO – FORNESSA Regional Congress in collaboration with ITTO and the African Forest Forum in Kenya next year and I know that this will make a great difference to a much neglected part of our world. Other regions will, of course, follow, such as Latin America, but this will be a good start.

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The interview was published in IUFRO News 9/2011 at http://www.iufro.org/publications/news/electronic-news/io-news-1109/.

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Volume 26: Traditional Forest Related Knowledge, Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Forest Management in Eastern Europe, Northern and Central Asia.
Andrey Laletin, John A. Parrotta, Ilya Domashov (editors). Vienna, 2011 – 78 p.

Forests and woodlands that are the traditional homes of local communities in Eastern Europe, Northern and Central Asia have historically been managed by these communities themselves, or more recently in collaboration with government agencies. Traditional forest-related knowledge (TFRK) and innovative forest management practices, developed over centuries, have contributed significantly to the natural and cultural heritage of the region, and sustained production of multiple goods and services that enhance livelihood security and quality of life for people. The conference provided a platform for sharing of information and exchanging experiences among scientists, the holders and users of traditional knowledge, non-governmental organizations, forest managers and other relevant stakeholders related to forest biodiversity and traditional forest-related knowledge. The conference highlighted the importance of traditional knowledge towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, the objectives of the Rio Conventions, and its contributions to sustainable forest management.

For more information visit: http://www.iufro.org/publications/series/world-series/#c16553

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Volume 29:  Asia and the Pacific Symposium - Vulnerability Assessments to Natural and Anthropogenic Hazards
Editors: Antonio M. Daño, Karen Rae M. Fortus, Sim Heok-Choh. Kuala Lumpur, 2011 – 95 p.

In December 2010, a symposium was held in Manila, the Philippines, to lo0k at the vulnerability of ecosystems to natural and anthropogenic hazards and how best to assess it. The main objective of the symposium was to enhance the capability and capacity of participants in conducting vulnerability assessment of various ecosystems. It served as a venue for exchange of knowledge and initiatives in vulnerability assessment. The symposium was also expected to come up with output materials that will be useful in preparing appropriate programmes/projects to deal with the inherent biophysical and socioinstitutional characteristics of ecosystems and the stressors of the resources including the impacts of climate change.

Learn more about this publication at http://www.iufro.org/publications/series/world-series/#c18479

IUFRO Vice-President Su See Lee

Q: Dr. Lee, you are a senior scientist with the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) specialized in forest pathology. Why did you choose a career in forest science in the first place? 

A: I have always been interested in biology and decided to specialize in botany for my first degree at the University of Malaya. That led me to my first job as a tutor at the Faculty of Forestry, Universiti Pertanian Malaysia (UPM) with the opportunity to also pursue my Masters degree at that university. UPM subsequently appointed me as a lecturer in the faculty to teach and conduct research mainly in forest pathology.

A grant from the International Foundation for Science (IFS) started me off on my first research project on dipterocarp mycorrhizas which sparked off my interest to pursue my Ph.D. at the University of Aberdeen. From then on, I was totally hooked on unraveling the many unknowns in tropical forest biology, in particular, the intricate and complicated relationships between fungi and trees. In 1990 when the chance came to take up a full-time research position at FRIM, I decided to switch from academia to full-time research and have since been enjoying conducting research into diseases of tropical forest trees, dipterocarp ectomycorrhizas, macrofungal diversity and also ethnomycology.

Q: Would you encourage young people to take up a similar career in forest science today and what advice would you give them?

A: Yes, but perhaps not a similar career path as mine. A career in forest science offers many interesting opportunities, especially in view of the challenges that we face today in this increasingly globalized world of depleting natural resources. Forest science has a very important role to play in finding solutions to issues related to climate change, biodiversity conservation, bioenergy, services from the forest, new bio- materials, just to name a few. So if you have the interest and enjoy meeting some of these challenges, you could find a very fulfilling career in forest science.

Q: You started to get involved in IUFRO in 1995.  Now you are the first female Vice-President of IUFRO. How did you experience the development of IUFRO in this time span especially in the light of gender and regional balance?

A: Recognition of IUFRO’s role in forestry and forest research has increased over the years and IUFRO now plays a significant role in many important international fora.  Over the years I have also seen an improved gender and regional balance in IUFRO. Now I see more female officeholders – for example, almost one third of the current IUFRO Board (http://www.iufro.org/who-is-who/board/) members are women, more officeholders from developing countries, and the active participation of younger members in IUFRO meetings and world congresses is most encouraging. This is quite a change from the IUFRO which I first knew and the face of IUFRO is now a more modern and younger one.

Q: In IUFRO you are responsible for Task Forces, Special Programmes, Projects and IUFRO-led Initiatives. They are all tools for achieving IUFRO’s strategic goals. How do you see the role of the Task Forces in this context?

A: The IUFRO Task Forces (http://www.iufro.org/science/task-forces/) are set up for a specific period of time only and are aimed at strengthening IUFRO activities in specific areas and to contribute to the on-going international processes and activities. For example, the Task Force on Forests and Climate Change will no doubt be making some very pertinent contributions to the on-going dialogue at the IPCC and UNFCCC while the Task Force on Forest Biodiversity Conservation with its focus on ecosystem services will be able to make significant contributions to the CBD strategic plan and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). Our other Task Forces are tackling some current “hot topics” such as Forest Bioenergy, Forests for People and Forests and Water Interactions, and the Task Force on Resources for the Future aims to put IUFRO at the forefront of identifying new resources and trends in forestry and forest research.

Apart from making contributions to the international processes, the Task Forces will also be producing technical publications, state-of-knowledge reports, conducting technical workshops and meetings. These activities and their outputs will provide important guidelines for forest science, thereby increasing the visibility of science-based research and IUFRO’s ability to respond to new and emerging issues. I strongly believe that the Task Forces are well placed to further enhance IUFRO’s role as the global network for science cooperation.

Q: What have, in your view, been the major contributions of the Special Programmes, Projects and IUFRO-led Initiatives to reaching goals such as strengthening scientific capacity and the work at the science-policy interface?

A: Training courses conducted by the IUFRO Special Programme for Developing Countries (SPDC, http://www.iufro.org/science/special/spdc/) have benefited many young (and not so young) developing-country scientists while the Global Forest Information Service (GFIS, http://www.gfis.net/) has provided and continues to provide forest related information to an increasingly larger global audience. The reports and policy briefs provided by the IUFRO-led initiative “Global Forest Expert Panels” (GFEP, http://www.iufro.org/science/gfep/) and IUFRO’s Special Project on World Forests, Society and Environment (WFSE, http://www.iufro.org/science/special/wfse/) have been well received and succeeded in raising awareness among international policy and decision makers about some current issues. Overall these programmes, projects and initiatives have enhanced IUFRO’s profile as a provider of independent science-based information.

Q: How do you see the future of forest-related research and how can national and regional forest research organizations benefit from global research cooperation as offered by IUFRO.

A: I believe that forest-related research in the future will be determined by four major factors,

i) the shift from natural to anthropogenic resources,
ii) the effects and implications of globalization and capacity building (or lack of) on the supply of and trade in forest resources,
iii) demands for services from the forest, and
iv) engineering challenges in the development of new products and biomaterials.

The global research cooperation offered by IUFRO can strengthen capacity and research efforts at national and regional forest research organizations through information sharing, networking, training and active collaboration between partner institutions.

—

The interview was published in IUFRO News 6/2011 at http://www.iufro.org/publications/news/electronic-news/io-news-1106/.

FOREST GOVERNANCE

The current set of international forest governance arrangements is best seen as a complex hybrid mix of international law, soft law, and non-governmental performance-based measures such as international certification schemes and industry codes of conduct. A diverse array of organizations and interest groups, all with different mandates, create the institutional environment for forest policy and governance.  All of these actors are dedicated to supporting the different functions of forests, developing and implementing measures designed to protect the forest benefits, and interacting – often in a competitive manner – with each other for political and financial support at different levels. There are an increasing number of governance challenges, such as the demand for bioenergy and legally harvested and produced timber (e.g. EU Timber Regulation on banning illegal timber products from the EU market, to be applied in early 2013). There is clear evidence from research that complex forest problems require synergistic approaches involving a wide range of policy instruments.

Innovative Approaches

There are two concepts that could guide efforts towards a more effective international forest governance: problem focused policy learning is enabled by including from the start a broad group of stakeholders and institutions inside and outside of the forest sector and by gathering practical advice, practitioners’ knowledge, insights and the best available research. In addition, impacts between various policies and policy levels need to be better understood. Improved institutional intersection, in which different interventions perform specific functions, might lead to adaptive capacities in ways a single institution could not. In order to improve the understanding and practical application of these two concepts, the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) is currently establishing a new Task Force on International Forest Governance to address institutional intersection and policy learning.

A Contribution to Forest Europe

Policy learning and institutional intersection may support and guide the implementation of commitments declared in the ‘Oslo Ministerial Decision: European Forests 2020′, such as the European Ministers’ decision: (i) to develop and update policies and tools for sustainable forest management, including by facilitating open and flexible policy dialogue; (ii) to monitor, assess and facilitate implementation of commitments on sustainable forest management in all European countries and in the region; and (iii) to facilitate sharing of experiences across countries, sectors and stakeholders on all aspects of sustainable forest management and other forest related issues (see articles 21a-c).

FACTS

The state of play of European forest governance and challenges

• European regional agreements with regard to governance include the Oslo Ministerial Mandate for Negotiating a Legally Binding Agreement on Forests in Europe, and the EU FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade) Action Plan, setting the goal of combating illegal harvesting and illegal timber trade in environment, trade and development cooperation policies.
• With these developments, domestic challenges arise. There is fragmentation of institutions and authority in addressing key goals. For example, good forest governance was originally seen as a development issue, but has become a trade issue also. The EU and Member States are facing the challenge to link the development agencies with the trade agencies and to find synergistic ways how to work together, that do not violate the legal responsibilities of either.
• As Europe with FLEGT is commending good governance elsewhere in such a coherent and concerned way, the EU and Member States are facing the challenge to also demonstrate good forest governance within the region in order to not lose legitimacy and credibility at international level.

What research can do

• Defining and implementing interaction between trade, development and natural resource policies is not as simple as it might seem. Researchers can uncover the pathways through which synergies could be facilitated by new institutional arrangements and new policy approaches. For example, incentives and signals from FLEGT could encourage supply chain tracking, often through the use of certification bodies, which then help to reinforce good forest governance in developing countries.
• Researchers have an ability to identify: what are the most synergistic pathways for interactions between the different actors and entities? And what does this mean for developing strategic directions and decisions in order to guide actors with often conflicting mandates and diverse institutional cultures? What are the obstacles for the formulation and implementation of policies and institutions fostering ‘good’ governance principles?

Policy learning

• Policy learning is the attempt to adjust the goals or techniques of policy in response to past experience and new information. In the complex context of European forest policy, policy learning can only begin when stakeholders, practitioners, government agencies, civil society organizations, and scientists create, through deliberation, a joint understanding of the context and nature of forest problems from a wide variety of perspectives.  The success of this learning process depends upon having the best available information about policy options as informed by research, practice, and the experience of civil society.
• Policy learning that occurs in a deliberative process will expose legitimate differences over goals and objectives that divide stakeholders but, by creating a common understanding of  ‘how things work’, policy learning also can reveal win-win solutions. For example, at the same time that participants learn about the viability of one or more efforts – such as FLEGT, certification and management plans etc. – they learn about the challenges confronting other stakeholders.

Institutional intersection

• The most important level of learning about potential solutions to public problems is at the level of intersection of institutions. It simply is no longer the case that a single intervention sits alone by itself and has no impact anywhere else. In fact any international negotiation or deliberation only has an impact when it actually interacts with something else, e.g. with domestic legislation or certification or national forest programmes.
• There is a role for research simultaneously involving practitioners and civil society to analyse the different interactions among government and market mechanisms across global, national and local scales that might produce innovative, effective and enduring results.
• For example, the supply chain tracking in the framework of the FLEGT process involves public and private actors at different levels – sub-nationally, nationally and internationally – and therefore could lead to broad global coalition for good forest governance in a way a single intervention, such as private certification schemes can not achieve.
• The institutional intersection approach is now gaining growing acceptance as illustrated by the UN Rio 2012 summit’s focus on the two themes: ‘green economy’ and ‘institutional framework for sustainable development’.

What can Forest Europe do?

• Forest Europe can play a key role in promoting policy learning and institutional intersection by sharing a learning platform involving multiple stakeholders, informed by the best available information about policy options.
• It can facilitate stakeholder and civil society participation at domestic level by creating forums for deliberation with scientists, policy makers, and forest managers at local, sub-national and national levels. For example, the national forest programme process could be a national-level learning forum.
• It can support engagement of policy makers in scientific meetings focused on governance and policy, such as the IUFRO All-Division 9 ‘Forest Policy and Economics’ Conference in Sarajevo in May 2012.
• It can support policy-research networks, like the FOPER network in Southeast Europe, that are actively researching public problems identified through stakeholder processes with the purpose of contributing to policy makers, practitioners and civil society as well as to the research community.
• And it can actively promote the role of Forest Europe in the global discussion on forest governance by assuming a leadership role in creating the institutional capacity for policy learning and collaborative research necessary to provide adaptive governance capacity for the future.

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Embracing complexity: Meeting the challenges of international forest governance. A global assessment report. This report was prepared in the frame of the Global Forest Expert Panels (GFEP), an initiative established within the framework of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF). The report was led and coordinated by IUFRO. Visit: http://www.iufro.org/science/gfep/

The International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) is the only world-wide 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/

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13 May 2011, New York – As discussions draw to a close at the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) in UN Headquarters this week, members of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF), an international mechanism composed of 14-forest related organizations and secretariats, are calling upon countries to pay more attention to the crucial contribution of forests to sustainable development.

Members of the CPF are working to improve management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests.  Sustainably managed forests contribute directly to poverty reduction by providing jobs, incomes, and consumable goods for poor families.

“At a time when we are faced with environmental, social, and economic crises that are daunting; the CPF is working intensively together to further catalyze the positive contributions of forests, including the livelihoods of forest-dependent people, as is being celebrated in 2011, the International Year of Forests.” says Jan McAlpine, Director of the United Nations Forum on Forests Secretariat. “Forest services and benefits are multifaceted and wide-ranging, from the environmental contributions to the social and economic.  Cross-sectoral and cross-institutional cooperation and a people-relevant approach is vital not only to management of forests but for advancing sustainable development around the world.”

“Further analysis is needed during the International Year of Forests, to emphasize the connection between people and forests, and the benefits that can accrue when forests are managed by local people in sustainable and innovative ways” says Eduardo Rojas-Briales Assistant Director-General of the FAO Forestry Department.  “Together we must continue to pursue multiple pathways towards sustainable development using forests at all levels.”

Rojas called attention to the 2011 edition of FAO’s State of the World’s Forests, which provides an analysis of how forests support people’s livelihoods and the development of sustainable forest industries. According to the report, forest industries are improving resource efficiency and recycling efforts and are making progress in promoting wood products as more environmentally friendly than alternative materials. Moreover, State of the World’s Forests 2011 indicates that community-based and traditional knowledge forest management approaches can help communities harvest and sell non-wood forest products to create more sustainable livelihoods.

The relevance of traditional forest-related knowledge and practices to global efforts to advance sustainable forest management, biodiversity conservation, adaptation to environmental change, and livelihood security is highlighted by a 6-year global study that has recently been completed by the International Union of Forest Research Organizations.

Emmanuel Ze Meka, Executive Director of the International Tropical Timber Organization noted that “Already in many tropical countries, sustainably managed forests and the products that arise from them are contributing to sustainable development at both the national and especially at the community level. But since sustainably managed forests still make up less than 10% of the total global tropical forest area, they clearly have the potential to play a much bigger role.”

A successful example of sustainable forest management can been seen in Guinea, where the Landscape Management for Improved Livelihoods (LAMIL) project by the World Agroforestry Centre and the Centre for International Forestry Research has had a profound influence on the sustainability of four large forest areas. Prior to the project, local people were forbidden from using the forest resources and illegal logging, poaching and land clearance were leading to forest loss.  The LAMIL project developed a system of co-management involving local communities and government where the local people derive real benefits from the forests, and in return have shown their willingness and ability to manage them sustainably.

“The project illustrates how changes in how forests are governed can lead to win-win outcomes for forests and people,” commented Frances Seymour, Director General of the Center for International Forestry Research.  “This project has done much to improve the welfare of the local people,” said Dennis Garrity Director General of the World Agroforestry Center. “It has also shown that sustainable forest management and improved livelihoods are inextricably linked.”

“Forests, soils and water are a trilogy that are not stand-alone, self-sustaining resources” says Luc Gnacadja, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. “To foster a holistic approach to the management of these environmental resources, we must attend to three things. First, we need to focus on the causes, not the symptoms of deforestation. Second, we also need to focus on the soil, which is the real source of life for the land. Third, the communities that maintain the ecosystems we depend upon need to be rewarded.”

At the recent United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) meeting in February, ministers and high officials agreed on a Ministerial Declaration which stresses that “forests are an integral part of the global environment and human well-being, providing multiple goods and services essential for people worldwide and crucial for sustainable development and the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals.”  The UNFF Ministerial Declaration contains the most important global forest policy issues and concerns as the concrete input on forests to the upcomingRio+20 conference.  Rio+20 (June 2012), marks the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of Agenda 21, the blueprint for sustainable development, agreed upon at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development.  The conference will review progress made towards sustainable development and map out future strategies to address sustainable development and environmental challenges.

For more information:

Gerda Wolfrum, wolfrum(at)iufro.org, International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO)

Vienna/Vantaa – “It is not commonly understood how much – even in our hypermodern urban age – human health and well-being are influenced by forests and trees”, said Professor Hannu Raitio, coordinator of the IUFRO Task Force on Forests and Human Health of the Vienna-based International Union of Forest Research Organizations, and Director General of the Finnish Forest Research Institute Metla in Vantaa, prior to World Health Day on 7 April. Research shows that there is a huge untapped economic and health potential in forest biodiversity. “Preserving biodiversity attains an autonomous value – independent of any uses known at the present time”, said Professor Raitio.

Loss of species and decrease in biodiversity always imply a potential loss of health-related ecosystem services and genetic resources. The conservation of the earth’s biological diversity, of which a large part is found in forests, is increasingly recognized as an important goal. Preserving biodiversity is rational also from an economic point of view. As noted in FAO’s State of the World’s Forests 2011, many top-selling herbal products such as goji and echinacea are derived from forests, and the collection and trade of raw materials continues to significantly affect forest economies. Probably more than half of the most prescribed medicines – also in the Western pharmacopoeia – are based on chemical compounds found in natural organisms. “Even if the drug is produced synthetically, it is often first found in nature, or it may be a modification of some naturally occurring compound. We start to realize that every organism is a potent bioreactor with unique capabilities”, stated Professor Raitio.

Medical treasures waiting to be discovered
Currently only less than one per cent of all known plants are thoroughly analyzed for pharmaceuticals and with microbes, fungi and animals the percentage is even smaller. Only a small fraction of all existing species of organisms have been discovered and described so far. Moreover, all higher plants are hosts to one or more endophytic microbes, organisms residing in tissues between or among living plant cells. Of the estimated 500,000 plant species living on the planet, only a handful has had their endophytic microflora thoroughly studied.

“There are medical treasures waiting to be discovered in forest plants literally everywhere. For example, we recently began a study on the microflora of the root system of the common Scots Pine, Pinus sylvestris“, informed Professor Raitio: “We wanted to see what kind of chemical substances can be found in the microscopic fungi that are living symbiotically with the tree, and test them against the age-related eye disease (AREDS), which is a major cause of vision loss in people of advanced age all over the world. We thought that in a few years we may find a substance that could be of potential use, but only after a few months of research we already had our first candidate. We are now cooperating with medical doctors to develop a medicine of it.”

Traditional medicine also greatly relies on forest resources, for example in the treatment of malaria. Most of the hundreds of millions of cases of malaria each year are in sub-Saharan Africa, where it is the second highest cause of death from infectious disease. Poor communities have limited access to modern drugs, with the majority relying on traditional medicine in treating malaria. The World Agroforestry Centre recently published a guide entitled  ‘Common Antimalarial Trees and Shrubs of East Africa’, which describes 22 species of trees and shrubs that are used as antimalarial treatments in East Africa by traditional medical practitioners and rural communities. “These species have great potential for further study and development as readily available alternative treatments for the curse of malaria,” said Najma Dharani, the main author of the book.

Sustainable management of forests to be key
Forests support the livelihoods of millions of people by providing food, water, fuel, protection against natural hazards etc., and offer a range of health-related goods and services, from medicinal compounds to the support of our psychological capacity and mental health. The key to preserve these ecosystem services is sustainable forest management (SFM), aiming at a balance between society’s increasing demands for forest products and benefits, and the preservation of forest health and diversity. This balance is critical to the survival of forests and the health of people depending on forests. “These people do not only include the forest-dwelling native tribes in various corners of the world, but every one of us, wherever we live, and whatever is our industrial or economic level. This is the most important message for us all on the World Health Day and in the United Nation’s International Year of Forests 2011“, said Professor Raitio.

The international group of scientists of the interdisciplinary IUFRO Task Force recently suggested taking into account human health aspects in all forest management activities systematically. This could be done through applying the Health Impact Assessment (HIA), a program which is promoted actively by the World Health Organization (WHO) and is to date mainly being used in urban planning, to forest-related issues. For this purpose, a set of forest-related human health indicators could be developed and included in public health reports in a similar way as they are often included in reports on water, energy, mining, biodiversity and agriculture.

For more information:
Gerda Wolfrum, wolfrum(at)iufro.org, International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO)
IUFRO Task Force on Forests and Human Health

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The Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) is a voluntary arrangement among 14 international organizations and secretariats with substantial programs on forests. The CPF’s mission is to promote the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forest and strengthen long term political commitment to this end.

CPF members:

- Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
- International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO)
- International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO)
- Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD Secretariat)
- Global Environment Facility (GEF Secretariat)
- United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD Secretariat)
- United Nations Forum on Forest (UNFF Secretariat)
- United Nations Framework Convention of Climate Change (UNFCCC Secretariat)
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
- World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)
- World Bank (World Bank)
- The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)