International Union
of Forestry Research
Organizations
IUFRO
Forestry Research
IUFRO is a non-profit, non-governmental international
research organization which was established in Berlin-Eberswalde in
1892. Its objectives are to promote international cooperation in forestry
and forest products research and standardization of research techniques.
IUFRO includes today more than 15,000 scientists from 710 member
organzations in 111 countries. IUFRO's activities are organized primarily
through its 240 specialized research groups in six technical divisions.
IUFRO has recently placed increased emphasis on problems of global concern
including atmospheric pollution, climate change and tropical deforestation.
Special programmes and task forces have been created to deal with these
issues. Two of them are:
- Special Programme for Developing Countries and
- Task Force on Forest, Climate Change and Air Pollution
RESEARCH
The six divisions cover the following research fields
Forest Environment and Silviculture
- Forest ecosystems
- Silviculture in the tropics and other regions
- Site research and site classification
- Soil and water management
- Wildlife habitat management
- Forest fire research
- Agroforestry
- Biomass for energy
- Ecology of defined zones
Forest Plants and Forest Protection
- Genetics
- Taxonomy and dendrology
- Intraspecific variation and provenance trials
- Tree breeding
- Physiology
- Forest pathology
- Entomology
- Productivity of plantation forestry
- Seed problems
- Response of woody plants to abiotic stresses, particularly air pollution
Forest operations and techniques
- Forest engineering
- Operational methods in all forestry practices
- Ergonomics
- Operational planning and control
- Work studies
- Economics and harvesting of thinnings
- Forest operations in the tropics
- Small scale forestry
- Forest operations and environmental protection
Inventory, Growth, Yield, Quantitative and Management Sciences
- Mensuration, growth and yield
- Foret ional methods in all forestry practices
- Ergonomics
- Operational planning and control
- Work studies
- Economics and harvesting of thinnings
- Forest operations in the tropics
- Small scale forestry
- Forest operations and environmental protection
Forest Products
- Researh on the fundamental nature of wood and other forest products,
and their utilization
- Microscopic and macroscopic properties
- Wood protection and wood processing
- Physics, drying and conversion
- Forest products marketing
- Tse of non-wood products
Social, Economic, Information and Policy Sciences
- Economics at national, regional and international levels
- Forest policy and administration
- Forest law and environmental legislation
- Forest history
- Research organization
- Forest recreation and landscape management
- Social and institutional aspects of forestry
- Urban forestry
- Extension
- Information systems and terminology
- Ecological economics
International exchange of experience
ACTIVITIES
IUFRO serves as a forum for the exchange of knowledge and experiences in the field
of forestry research at national and international level. For this purpose workshops,
seminars and conferences are organized where professionals meet to learn of
the latest developments in their fields, attendance ranging from a handful to
several hundred participants. An increasing number of meetings is held in developing
countries. Every five years IUFRO organizes a World
Congress which is attended by as many as 2,000 participants. Each Congress
includes plenary sessions, numerous scientific and technical sessions, posters
and field excursions.
Members all over the world
MEMBERSHIP
Membership entitles the individual scientist working within a member
institution as well as associate members to join any of the research units
aand to participate in all IUFRO activities.
Most important benefits include:
- An international forestry research network providing a global forum for
scientific interaction.
- Opprtunity to attend all IUFRO meetings and congresses.
- Participation in IUFRO's honours and awards programme.
- Names and addresses of research workers throughout the world.
- Subscription to the quarterly newsletter IUFRO News. Available in
English and Spanish.
- Annual Report. Available in the four IUFRO languages English, German,
French and Spanish.
- Congress Proceedings (about 4000 pages of abstracts).
- Papers from symposia/seminars (free copies for participants, at cost for
all other members).
Subscription form to join IUFRO as an
institution or as an individual.
For more detailed information or application forms contact:
- IUFRO Secretariat
- Seckendorff-Gudent-Weg 8
- A-1131 Vienna, Austria
- Tel: +43-1-877-0151 +43-1-877-8370 +43-1-877-9308
- Fax: +43-1-8779-355
- Tlx: 75312646 iusc a
- E-mail: iufro@forvie.ac.at