The Joensuu Forestry Networking Week (JFNW) is a discussion and group work forum featuring timely and important forestry related topics. The JFNW is seen as a new initiative connecting and increasing the interaction between young and experienced scientists, professionals and stakeholders in forestry from different parts of Europe . The aim is to engage the participants in discussions, lectures, group work and excursions in order to broaden their own expertise and contacts through active participation and networking. After receiving positive feedback from the participants of the JFNW 2009 the responsible organizations have agreed to organize more JFNW events also in the future.

“Fighting climate change: adapting forest policy and forest management in Europe” was chosen to be the topic of the first JFNW. Thus, the main goal of the JFNW 2009 was to discuss the role of forestry in adapting to and mitigating climate change from the viewpoint of forest science and other scientific disciplines, with a special focus on forest policy and forest management. Priorities for actions at the local, national and European levels were made, and regional differences within Europe were described.

The objective of the JFNW 2009 group work was to improve participants’ expertise and knowledge on how forest policies, forest management, forest research and forest extension can be developed for better adaptation and mitigation to climate change. As a result of the group work the participants wrote a report on how climate change and forest interaction should be considered in the formulation of forest policy, forest management, forest research and forest extension. The reports are published in Metla’s Working Papers 135.

Timely and important topics were chosen for the next two events, for 2010 “Forest-water interactions in Europe ” and for 2011 “Forests and Energy”. The preparations for JFNW 2010 are already underway. More information