From October 5-11, 2014, the USDA Forest Service hosted 2,492 delegates from 100 countries, including 700 students, who converged in Salt Lake City, UT, for the 24th World Congress of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO). An additional 1,300 professional foresters joined them for the annual Society of American Foresters (SAF) and Canadian Institute of Forestry (CIF) conventions. Founded in 1892, IUFRO is a global nonprofit and nongovernmental scientific organization dedicated to promoting international cooperation in forest-related research. IUFRO includes over 600 member organizations in more than 100 countries representing 15,000 scientists. e last time the U.S. hosted the prestigious IUFRO World Congress, which is held every four to five years, was in 1971. is international event would not have been possible without the significant contributions of Forest Service employees and our partners. Sustaining Forests, Sustaining People: The Role of Research e IUFRO World Congress brings scientists and stakeholders from around the world together to discuss priority issues in forest research, policy, and management. e scientific program of the Congress represented the Congress title, “Sustaining Forests, Sustaining People: e Role of Research,” well by highlighting the role of forest science in addressing the significant environmental, social, and economic challenges we face. e Congress scientific program was organized around seven major themes: • Forests for People; • Forest Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services; • Forests and Climate Change; • Forest and Water Interactions; • Forest Biomass and Bioenergy; • Forests and Forest Products for a Greener Future; • Forest Health in a Changing World. USDA Forest Service Special Update 24th IUFRO World Congress This was the largest gathering of forestry researchers and professionals ever held in the USA. This special newsletter shares information about what happened at the IUFRO Congress and Society of American Foresters-Canadian Institute of Forestry meeting with Forest Service employees who could not attend. Rich Guldin Congress Organizing Committee Chair Nalini Nadkarni, Jack Dangermond, David Haskell, Mila Alvarez, Sally Collins, and Michael Wingfield speak during a joint plenary. Credit: IUFRO Secretariat 1 Scientific Program in Numbers: 5 plenary sessions 19 sub-plenary sessions 1,200+ technical presentations 1,200 posters 27 day-long field tours
Transcript
From October 5-11, 2014, the USDA Forest Service hosted 2,492 delegates from 100 countries, including 700 students, who converged in Salt Lake City, UT, for the 24th World Congress of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO). An additional 1,300 professional foresters joined them for the annual Society of American Foresters (SAF) and Canadian Institute of Forestry (CIF) conventions.
Founded in 1892, IUFRO is a global nonprofit and nongovernmental scientific organization dedicated to promoting international cooperation in forest-related research. IUFRO includes over 600 member organizations in more than 100 countries representing 15,000 scientists. The last time the U.S. hosted the prestigious IUFRO World Congress, which is held every four to five years, was in 1971. This international event would not have been possible without the significant contributions of Forest Service employees and our partners.
Sustaining Forests, Sustaining People: The Role of ResearchThe IUFRO World Congress brings scientists and stakeholders from around the world together to discuss priority issues in forest research, policy, and management. The scientific program of the Congress represented the Congress title, “Sustaining Forests, Sustaining People: The Role of Research,” well by highlighting the role of forest science in addressing the significant environmental, social, and economic challenges we face.
The Congress scientific program was organized around seven major themes: • Forests for People; • Forest Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services; • Forests and Climate Change; • Forest and Water Interactions; • Forest Biomass and Bioenergy; • Forests and Forest Products for a Greener Future;• Forest Health in a Changing World.
USDA Forest Service Special Update24th IUFRO World Congress
This was the largest gathering of forestry researchers and professionals ever held in the USA. This special newsletter shares information about what happened at the IUFRO Congress and Society of American Foresters-Canadian Institute of Forestry meeting with Forest Service employees who could not attend.
Rich GuldinCongress Organizing Committee Chair
Nalini Nadkarni, Jack Dangermond, David Haskell, Mila Alvarez, Sally Collins, and Michael Wingfield speak during a joint plenary.Credit: IUFRO Secretariat
The IUFRO World Congress is an unparalleled opportunity for international exchange of knowledge and ideas pertaining to forest research. In addition to the scientific program, the Congress offered attendees opportunities to socialize with one another and to explore the Salt Lake City region through field tours.
Rocky Mountain Research Station, Pacific Southwest Research Station, Region 4, and other Forest Service employees offered tremendous support for the organization of the pre-Congress and in-Congress tours. Forest Service employees highlighted our research, our land management efforts, and the exchange of knowledge with delegates from around the world.
The IUFRO World Congress provided a platform for scientists from around the world to engage in scientific dialog on key natural resources issues, identify natural resources issues we will face in the future, develop new friendships, and rekindle old relationships. I was ecstatic over how Forest Service Research and Development staff and scientists performed on a world stage of elite scientists and world natural resource leaders.
Jim ReavesDeputy Chief, Forest Service Research & Development
Big Cottonwood Canyon was the destination for a number of in-Congress tours, where attendees learned how science is being applied in the management of national forests. Topics covered included watershed management, urban forest research and management, and tourism and recreation management.Credit: Carlos Milan, USDA Forest Service
The Congress provided an opportunity for the Advisory Group (AG) to the UN-FAO Global Forest Resource Assessment (FRA) to meet and finalize release plans for the FRA in 2015. Produced every five years, the FRA offers a consistent approach to describe the world’s forests and how they are changing. AG members include representatives from the six most forested countries in the world and from non-governmental conservation and sustainability organizations. The Rocky Mountain Research Station Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program hosted the delegates on a one day field tour, where FIA scientists provided explanations in the field of the influence of recent large scale disturbances and recovery processes from fire and bark beetle induced mortality. The field trip stimulated discussion of similar events around the world and how to best represent the current state of science in the FRA.
Greg ReamsForest Inventory and Analysis National Program Leader
24th IUFRO World Congress
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Forest Service Contributions to the Scientific ProgramForest Service scientists contributed to the scientific program as session organizers, moderators, speakers and poster presenters, with broad representation across all Research Stations, the Forest Products Laboratory, International Institute of Tropical Forestry, the Washington Office, and several Regions. John Parrotta (WO) and Ron McRoberts (Northern Research Station) were members of the Congress Scientific Committee, which was responsible for developing the entire scientific program.
Scientific Program Highlights on YouTubeThe Congress Organizing Committee and its audio-visual contractor captured video from the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, all five hour-long plenary presentations, and over a dozen interviews with notable scientists from around the world. The videos have been uploaded to a special IUFRO YouTube channel. The following highlights may be of special interest to Forest Service employees:
• Interview with Dr. Jimmy Reaves, Deputy Chief for Research & Development (7 minutes)• Interview with Dr. John Parrotta, National Research Program Leader, International Science Issues
(7 minutes)
The plenary presentations:• Modern Timber Buildings from Sustainable Forests
(Andy Buchanan, New Zealand)• On Maintaining Cycles and Feedbacks in Tropical Forest
Ecosystems: Thoughts from Basic Research (David Newbury, Switzerland)
• Knowledge Discovery, Synthesis, and Application at the Forest Science/Management Interface (Jack Dangermond and David George Haskell, USA)
• The People and Forests Trajectory (Carol Colfer, Indonesia)
• City Forests, Forest Cities—Exploring the Complex Liaison Between the Sylvan and the Urban (Cecil Konijnendijk van den Bosch, Sweden)
Forest Service scientists from around the country stepped up to the plate in a big way for this 24th IUFRO World Congress. Nearly 130 of our scientists presented their latest research – covering the full spectrum of topics included in the World Congress program. Over 40 of us made major contributions to the design, content and quality of the program, working with the Congress Scientific Committee over the past two years to develop very successful sub-plenary and technical sessions. These contributions cannot be underestimated, and they showcased just how strong and dynamic our Forest Service science programs are, and the contributions they are making to forests and people in the U.S. and worldwide.
John ParrottaChair, Congress Scientific Committee
151 Total FS Presentations106 in Technical Sessions7 in Sub-plenaries38 Posters
41 Session Organizers
David Newbery was a featured keynote speaker at the Congress.Credit: IUFRO Secretariat
Unprecedented Social Media Campaign for IUFROTo reach new and wider audiences, IUFRO embarked for the first time on a major social media campaign for the 24th World Congress. Through the Connect With Us! campaign, people worldwide were engaged through different social media platforms.
Additional Highlights of Interest• Forest Service Research: Protecting a Rich Legacy (11 minutes)
11 minute video introduction to America’s forests.
• Chief Tom Tidwell and Under Secretary Robert Bonnie’s Remarks in the Opening Ceremony
• Wangari Maathai Award Ceremony (36 minutes)The Wangari Maathai Award recognizes extraordinary efforts by an individual to improve and sustain forests and the people who depend on them. Martha Isabel Ruiz Corzo was recognized for making conservation profitable for rural communities in the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve, one of the most ecologically diverse areas of Mexico. The video includes a testimonial video commemorating Ms. Wangari Maathai’s achievements, culminating in her receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004.
• Message from H.R.H. The Prince of Wales (6 minutes)
561,000+ Twitter accounts saw #IUFRO2014 over 3.6 million times
18,000+ users were reached on Facebook
50,000+ views for the 67 posts on the IUFRO 2014 BlogLast summer, IUFRO conducted a global competition to pick seven bloggers to write posts during the Congress. Each blogger was assigned to one of the seven Congress themes. Visit the IUFRO 2014 Blog to read the blog stories circulated.
Five Daily News bulletins were produced, with highlights from the previous day and of the current day’s activities:
Monday, October 6Tuesday, October 7Thursday, October 9Friday, October 10
Saturday, October 11
In the press, interviews were conducted with the Salt Lake Tribune, Deseret News, KSL 5 TV, Primetime Live, ABC 4 Utah, and Channel 2 CBS.
Martha Isabel Ruis Corzo, winner of the Wangari Maathai Award.Credit: IUFRO Secretariat
Highlights of Special EventsTree Planting Ceremony Opens the World CongressA tree planting ceremony was held on October 5, 2014, in the Salt Lake City International Peace Gardens to commemorate the 24th IUFRO World Congress. Robert Bonnie, USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resources and the Environment, and Thomas Tidwell, Forest Service Chief, spoke on the importance of forest research and international exchange.
Per IUFRO tradition, four trees were planted as a gift to the host city: • Cedar of Lebanon: To commemorate
IUFRO’s long history and the location of the planting in the Lebanese section of the gardens.
• European Beech: To commemorate IUFRO’s roots in Europe.
• Piñon Pine: To commemorate the importance of trees, and this species particularly, to the Native Americans who originally inhabited the region.
• American Chestnut: To commemorate the role of research in combating a deadly fungus, Chestnut Blight, that virtually eliminated American Chestnut from America’s forests in the early 1900s. This hybrid was provided by The American Chestnut Foundation.
Native American Dancers Help Open the IUFRO CongressPerformers from Twoshield Production Co. shared a traditional song and dance with attendees of the 24th IUFRO World Congress. Visit the IUFRO 2014 blog to read more about the opening ceremony.
Mike Wingfield, the new IUFRO President from South Africa, Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell, and Research & Development Deputy Chief Jim Reaves watch two children prepare to plant a tree.Credit: Carlos Milan, USDA Forest Service
Forest Service and the Trade ExpositionThe Forest Service had a strong presence in the joint IUFRO, Society of American Foresters, and Canadian Institute of Forestry trade exposition. In addition to the U.S. Host Country booth, which was the centerpiece of the hall, there were Forest Service representatives from the Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team, Forest Inventory and Analysis, National Library, Remote Sensing Applications Center, and Research and Development. The USDA Research, Education and Economics Mission Area was also present.
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Synergy with the SAF/CIF ConventionThe SAF/CIF convention added a strong, 3-day scientific program that further enhanced the IUFRO Congress program. All attendees could attend SAF, CIF, or IUFRO technical sessions on those days. SAF and CIF delegates also went on the field tours, which enriched the dialog between researchers and professional foresters in the field. Additionally, students from SAF chapters and the International Forestry Students’ Association met, shared, learned, and networked with counterparts sharing common interests from around the world. It was an outstanding way to launch a career!
This update was produced by Carita Chan in Forest Service Research & Development Washington Office.
The U.S. Host Country exhibit, measuring 2,000 square feet, was a gathering place for attendees to learn about American forests. Guest speakers presented talks on diverse research topics during breaks in the Congress schedule.Credit: Carita Chan, USDA Forest Service Credit: Carlos Milan, USDA Forest Service
Overview of the Exposition Hall. The Forest Service Research & Development booth. Credit: Rich Guldin, USDA Forest Service Credit: Carlos Milan, USDA Forest Service
