Climate Resilient and Sustainable Forest Management
August 28-31, 2023, Helsinki, Finland
The Natural Resources Institute of Finland and the International Boreal Forest Research Association (IBFRA) will hold the next IBFRA Conference August 28-31, 2023. Participants can attend in-person or follow remotely. More details here.
Background
The boreal forest, which is the second most extensive terrestrial biome on earth, is experiencing environmental changes at rates that are unprecedented. Changing climates are increasing disturbance regimes such as wildfire or insect outbreaks. Many boreal ecosystems are shifting to new ecological states, affecting the people who are relying on these ecosystems for subsistence living, cultural practices, economic development or climate stability.
Subthemes of the conference
- Decision support tools and solutions for sustainable forestry
- Understanding linkages between ecosystem processes and management
- From data acquisition to knowledge creation
- Gameful forest interaction
- Science-policy interface
The conference week will feature keynote speeches, parallel sessions on the sub-themes, networking opportunities and trainings. Friday, September 1st is reserved for excursions, side events and project meetings.
Here’s a glimpse into Dr. Joanne White’s keynote presentation at #IBFRA2023 conference on contributions of remote sensing to characterizing post-disturbance forest recovery in boreal forests.
Here’s a sneak peak of Prof. Karin Ӧhman’s keynote presentation at #IBFRA2023 conference on decision support tools and solutions for sustainable forestry.
Who Should Participate?
- Researchers and students in or outside academia,
- Natural resource managers and representatives of the forest, wood and energy industries,
- Representatives of indigenous communities, non-governmental organizations, government and policy advisors, and anyone interested in the implications of climate-disturbance interactions in the boreal region.
For more information please visit the host website.
Leading up to the IBFRA2023 Conference, we’re hosting a series of webinars with @IUFRO & @IIASAVienna!
May 10, 2023 – Sustainable management to enhance the resilience of boreal forests to climate change
March 8, 2023 – Climate change in diverse context of boreal forests
IBFRA Conferences
Each IBFRA conference focuses on issues of global concern such as global change, biodiversity, climate change, disturbances and the global carbon cycle, as well as on issues requiring increased coordination within the boreal community such as classification, inventory and monitoring. IBFRA conferences directly or indirectly contribute to an increased understanding of the science supporting sustainable development in the circumpolar region.
Past conferences have included:
- USA (1992, 1997, 2004, 2021)
- Norway and Sweden (1993)
- Canada (1994, 2000, 2013)
- Finland (1995, 2015)
- Russia (1996, 2002, 2011)
- Norway (1998)
- Sweden (2006)
- China (2008)
- Austria (2018)
Submit an abstract for our IBFRA session to be organized at the IUFRO World Congress 2024:
XXVI IUFRO World Congress 2024
Stockholm, Sweden; 23-29 June 2024
FORESTS AND SOCIETY TOWARDS 2050
Congress website: https://iufro2024.com/
Technical Theme 1 – Collaborating for boreal forests futures
Boreal forests, the second most extensive terrestrial biome on earth, are experiencing environmental changes at rates that are unprecedented and higher than global averages. Home to unique landscapes and natural diversity, they provide crucial ecosystem services for the livelihoods of millions of people.
At the same time, they can store as much carbon per hectare as tropical forests and they deliver much of the world’s harvested wood products including timber, pulp and paper and biomass. However, the cumulative impacts of current environmental, social, economic, and technical changes on the boreal domain are highly uncertain. Climate change, expressed in temperature and precipitation changes, has far-ranging consequences such as the thawing of permafrost and devastating mega fires– among other threats. The resulting huge releases of greenhouse gases will further accelerate climate change.
This side event will be hosted by the International Boreal Forest Research Association (IBFRA) together with the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and Natural Resources Finland (LUKE). It will present the current scientific understanding of the vulnerability and resilience of the boreal biome to climate change. Particular emphasis will be placed on forest disturbances, forest management, and the potential for nature-based climate solutions in the boreal forests. This IBFRA side event at the IUFRO World Congress will also facilitate inter-disciplinary discussions between scientists from boreal countries, to increase understanding of the important role of boreal forest ecosystems in the global environment. The boreal forest contribution to global land-based sinks is essential for humanity to achieve net zero emissions in this century yet these ecosystems are at high risk from climate change impacts. The event will aim to promote and disseminate research results to ensure sustainable development and preservation of boreal forest ecosystems.
Florian Kraxner1 , Raisa Mäkipää2
1 International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
2 Natural Resources Institute Finland (LU
Please note that abstracts will be accepted until 2 June 2023. Authors will be informed if their presentation is accepted by 30 October 2023. In order to remain in the programme, the registration deadline for Presenting Authors of accepted abstracts is 15 January 2024.