Annual Report 2012 InternaƟ onal Union of Forest Research OrganizaƟ ons Union InternaƟ onale des InsƟ tuts de Recherches ForesƟ ères InternaƟ onaler Verband Forstlicher Forschungsanstalten Unión Internacional de Organizaciones de InvesƟ gación Forestal The World‘s Network of Forest Science Foreword By Niels Elers Koch, IUFRO President The year 2012 was an extraordinary one for IUFRO. It marked Another milestone in 2012 - also with respect to our strate- mid-term in an unusually short Board term period of only four gic orientation in the coming years - was undoubtedly the fi rst years which is mainly a consequence of the wish to avoid a col- IUFRO-FORNESSA (Forestry Research Network of Sub-Saha- lision of dates between the next IUFRO World Congress in Salt ran Africa) Regional Congress held in Nairobi, Kenya. Lake City, USA, in 2014 and the next FAO World Forestry Con- gress in 2015. By bringing top quality forest science meetings into the regions, particularly into regions that may have been underserved so far, Throughout the year an exceptionally high activity level could be IUFRO aims to offer a platform for scientists to present their fi n- noticed in the IUFRO Units which is particularly refl ected by the dings in a more local and regional context. This makes it easier total of 88 meetings co-sponsored by IUFRO, an all-time peak in for the researchers to relate their work to the topics discussed the number of scientifi c conferences with IUFRO involvement. and return home with new knowledge that can be directly applied in their corresponding research environments. In addition, IUFRO has been highly visible in international fo- rest policy fora such as Forest Day 6 during the United Nations The African regional congress was a major success in all re- Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meeting spects and, following this example, another regional Congress in Doha, Qatar, and REDD+ Day, du- will be held in June 2013 in Latin Ame- ring the UN Convention on Biological rica. IUFRO and the Tropical Agricul- Diversity (CBD) meeting in Hydera- tural Research and Higher Education bad, India. Center (CATIE) will jointly organize the Third IUFRO Latin American Con- In the following, let me only pick out gress in San José, Costa Rica, from a few highlights because any effort to 12 to 15 June 2013. fully capture this wealth of IUFRO’s re- search networking and knowledge dis- In 2012 IUFRO also started actively semination activities in a short preface to prepare the next Strategy for the is simply bound to fail. years after the 2014 IUFRO World Congress. As a fi rst step in this pro- Among the IUFRO conferences in cess, IUFRO Members and Offi ce- 2012 there were also two highly suc- holders were invited in mid-2012 to cessful all-Division meetings, one of express their views on IUFRO’s the- Division 5 Forest Products, held in matic priorities and working modalities Estoril, Portugal, and one of the young in an IUFRO Survey. An Independent Division 9 Forest Policy and Econo- Review Panel was then convened to mics, in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovi- look into the organization and evaluate na, which extensively showcased strengths and weaknesses and make IUFRO research and networking acti- suggestions for the future orientation vities. of IUFRO. The Division 5 meeting brought to- On the basis of this valuable input and gether more than 500 researchers together with all the experience gath- from all over the world. It did not only ered from our network, a new Stra- focus on its core topics such as wood tegy will be drafted and discussed in quality and processing or wood in construction, but also em- 2013 and 2014 to guide IUFRO in its important role of promoting braced the overarching strategic themes of IUFRO such as global cooperation in forest-related research and spreading the forests for people, forest bioenergy, and forests and climate message and disseminating scientifi c knowledge to the relevant change. stakeholders and decision-makers in order to meet the challen- ges of changing paradigms in forest science worldwide. The Division 9 conference demonstrated impressively how im- portant the social dimension of forests and forestry has become Let me extend my sincere thanks to all of you in IUFRO, from and how IUFRO has successfully addressed the need to im- offi ceholders to members, donors and friends, and IUFRO Head- prove scientifi c exchange and knowledge generation at a global quarters, as you all have a signifi cant share in making IUFRO scale in the fi elds of forest policy and economics. truly the “World’s Network of Forest Science“. Back to back with the all-Division 9 conference Sarajevo also hosted the “Directors’ Forum on Governance of Forest Research and Education – Innovations in Participatory Management“, which brought together heads of forest research and education institutions from around the world. It provided an excellent plat- form for the vivid exchange of information and experiences and allowed IUFRO to get immediate feedback from member organi- zations on the needs and trends in forest research and education Photo by Mike Muzurakis, IISD. management, which will also be most useful to guide us in our IUFRO President Niels Elers Koch planting a tree during future strategy. in-Congress tour to Karura Forest, Nairobi, Kenya. 1 COP18 in Doha, Qatar. Photo by IUFRO HQ. At the 1st IUFRO-FORNESSA Regional Congress in Nairobi. Photo by Mike Muzurakis, IISD. Table of Contents Foreword Programmes, Ini a ves, Projects 16 By Niels Elers Koch, IUFRO President 1 IUFRO Highlights in 2012 3 World Forests, Society and 16 Environment (IUFRO-WFSE) IUFRO Divisions 4 IUFRO-led Global Forest Expert 17 Division 1 - Silviculture 4 Panel Ini a ve (GFEP) Division 2 - Physiology and Gene cs 5 Global Forest Informa on 17 Division 3 - Forest Opera ons 6 Service (GFIS) Engineering and Management Special Programme for Developing 18 Division 4 - Forest Assessment, 7 Countries (IUFRO-SPDC) Modelling and Management Division 5 - Forest Products 8 Outlook Division 6 - Social Aspects of 9 By Mike Wingfi eld, Forests and Forestry IUFRO Vice-President Divisions 19 Division 7 - Forest Health 10 Division 8 - Forest Environment 11 Organiza onal Informa on 19 Division 9 - Forest Policy and Economics 12 IUFRO Structure 20 IUFRO Task Forces 13 New Members 2012 21 Finances 22 Forest Bioenergy 13 Sponsorships (Grants and In-kind Resources for the Future 14 Contribu ons to IUFRO in 2012) 23 Forests for People 14 IUFRO Awards 24 Forests and Human Health 15 HQ Publica ons 2012 24 Interna onal Forest Governance 15 IUFRO Board Members 24 Educa on in Forest Science 16 Editorial 24 Note: All texts in this Annual Report have either been provided by IUFRO offi ceholders or have been taken from IUFRO conference information web sites and reports or IUFRO News. Please note that in the IUFRO context the term “to sponsor“ a meeting does not imply any fi nancial assistance. It means that IUFRO offi ceholders are prominently involved in the meeting and that IUFRO supports the promotion of the event in its media. 2 IUFRO Review Panel. Photo by IUFRO HQ. Austrian Federal Minister Niki Berlakovich (left) and IUFRO President Niels Elers Koch. Photo by Bernhard Kern, Lebensministerium. IUFRO Highlights in 2012 Forests and Trees: IUFRO Review Panel Serving the People of Africa and the World In June of 2012, at the 51st Meeting of the IUFRO Board, it Under this theme, the First IUFRO-FORNESSA (Forestry Re- was agreed that an independent panel should be established search Network of Sub-Saharan Africa) Regional Congress was to “assess IUFRO’s modus operandi and scientifi c structure, to held from 25-29 June 2012, including the International Tropical identify, reconfi rm and adapt thematic challenges and opportu- Timber Association (ITTO)/African Forest Forum (AFF) Forest nities, and to provide guidance on how to adjust and position Policy Day on 28 June. Some 350 forest scientists and policy ma- IUFRO in the future“. In this context, the current IUFRO Strategy kers from about 45 countries, 32 of them in Africa, came together 2010-2014 served as a starting point, with a purpose to carefully in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi to participate in this unique event analyze where IUFRO can build on previous key achievements that was jointly hosted by the World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF) towards a new Strategy. and the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI). The Independent Review Panel consisted of six invited members The main focus of the Congress was on the impact of forest sci- from Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America, ence on the conservation and sustainable management and use coming from diverse backgrounds, and brought extensive ex- of forest and tree resources primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa with perience in forest research, management, and policy: Eduardo the scientifi c program being arranged around the following six Rojas-Briales (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United themes: forests and climate change; forests and water; forest Nations, Italy, and Panel Chair), Alfred Oteng-Yeboah (Fore- policy, governance and trade; forest biodiversity and conserva- stry Research Institute of Ghana), Tomás Schlichter (The Na- tion; agroforestry, energy and food security; and education trai- tional Institute of Agriculture and Technology, Argentina), Yurdi ning and institutional capacity building. Yasmi (The Center for People and Forests - RECOFTC, Thai- land), Jennifer Hayes (US Forest Service, United States of Ame- rica and Secretary of the Panel), and Lisa Sennerby-Forsse Austrian Ministry Confi rms Commitment to International (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden). Five of Forest Science Cooperation the six members met on 14-15 November 2012 in Vienna, Aus- tria.