Dear Ecolog:
The International Society of Tropical Foresters (ISTF) is organizing or
co-organizing seven sessions for the XXV World Congress of the
International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO2019) to be
held 29 Sept – 5 Oct 2019 at Curitiba, Brazil. Please consider
submitting an oral or poster presentation for one of these sessions or
another IUFRO2019 session (see below). Abstracts for presentations can
be submitted until 31 Dec 2018 at http://iufro2019.com/ You will need to
be registered for IUFRO2019 to submit an abstract, but you do not need
to pay until later. See https://iufro2019.com/abstracts-submission/ for
details on abstract submission. Information on all IUFRO 2019 sessions
can be found at
http://iufro2019.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/sessions-english-portuguese.pdf
. IUFRO will have financial assistance available for certain
participants (see
https://iufro2019.com/scientist-assistance-program-sap/).
ISTF-linked technical sessions at IUFRO2019
SESSION A2a: Sustaining iconic and high-value species in natural forests
and plantations
ISTF CONTACT: Erich Schaitza, EMBRAPA, Brazil (erich.schai...@embrapa.br
)
SESSION SUMMARY: VERSION IN BOOK: Araucaria and Swietenia are threatened
by habitat loss; overharvesting; insufficient regeneration and genetic
variation, failings in forest policy, governance, or regulations; and
devaluation of products. The session will cover possible solutions,
including: harvest policies, regulations, and planning; regeneration and
genetic variation; silvicultural practices; modelling to balance
extraction, regeneration, and genetic diversity; and market demand to
create value.
SESSION A4c: Monitoring and Assessing Urban Forest Services and Values
at the National to Local Scale
ISTF CONTACT: Vindhya P. Tewari, Himalayan Forest Research Institute,
India (vptew...@yahoo.com)
SESSION SUMMARY: Trees and forests within urban areas provide numerous
benefits to city residents, but relatively little is known about their
structure, the services provided by these forests, and how these forests
are changing. The purpose of this session is to discuss approaches to
inventory urban forests, so that Nations can learn how to monitor these
important forests that directly affect human health and well-being.
SESSION B5b: Small-scale sustainable energy alternatives for developing
countries
ISTF CONTACT: Lamfu Fabrice Yengong, University of Buea, Cameroon,
(lamfu2035yeng...@gmail.com)
SESSION SUMMARY: In developing countries, wood accounts for 50-90% of
the fuel used, and increased efficiency or replacements for wood are
needed. This session explores sustainable energy alternatives.
Presentations might include: utilizing waste through “3R” (reduce,
reuse, and recycle); more efficient technologies for cooking with wood
fuel; social costs of increasing scarcity of fuel wood; characteristics
related to fuel wood energy content; solar cooking as an alternative;
potential for material and energy recovery from waste; appropriate
technologies for developing countries; integrated renewable energy
production and utilization from biomass combustion and waste
gasification, among other topics.
SESSION C1b: Advances in management and science for the high-value
Meliaceae
ISTF CONTACT: Liu Jun, Research Institute of subtropical forest, Chinese
Academy of forestry, China, (ywliu2...@163.com)
SESSION SUMMARY: Tropical timber species of the Meliaceae (including
Cedrela, Entandrophragma, Khaya, Swietenia, and Toona) are among the
world’s finest woods, and many species have other uses. Their
sustainable management faces similar issues around the world. This
session will share the latest in research and applications for a global
perspective on these species. Topics could cover conservation of genetic
resources, genetic improvement, advances in shoot borer control, natural
forest management, and development and products useful for human health,
among others.
SESSION C1c: Improving high-value Meliaceae yields in plantations
ISTF CONTACT: Antonio Ferraz, Universidade Federal do Piauí, Brazil
(acferrazfi...@gmail.com)
SESSION SUMMARY: This session will focus on better production of
Meliaceae species grown in plantations. Many species (e.g. mahogany,
African mahogany, Australian red cedar, Melia) have recently been grown
as plantations around the world and research is needed over a wide range
of topics. The main objectives are to share experiences and to find
common research themes to build possible collaborations among
researchers working with Meliaceae species in plantations around the
world.
SESSION C9a: Discovery, curation, and uses of legacy tropical forest
data sets
ISTF CONTACT: Sheila Ward, Mahogany for the Future, Inc., Puerto Rico
(tropford...@gmail.com)
SESSION SUMMARY: Legacy tropical forest datasets have been generated by
various projects over time, and many are in danger of being lost. These
datasets are valuable for understanding how tropical forests change
through time, and many of the forests they characterize no longer exist.
To safeguard these data, standardized metadata and electronic archiving
schemes need to be developed. The purpose of the session is to share
information on the potential uses of such datasets, their current
status, and appropriate curation and metadata strategies.
SESSION F6b: Effective educational strategies for the next generation of
forest professionals
ISTF CONTACT: Ruth Metzel, Azuero Earth Project, Panama,
(r...@proecoazuero.org)
SESSION SUMMARY: University-based programs on forest related fields are
evolving and inherently need to change towards multidisciplinary
programs. Some major drivers of these changes are globalization of the
economy, climate change, and new technologies and informatics. In a
similar vein, solutions for real life, resource management problems
around forest key issues, like health, bioenergy, climate change are
consistently calling for more holistic and cross-sectoral approaches.
Universities curricula need to meet diverse higher demands, and new ways
to approach these challenges involving various disciplines in a
multicultural environment. This session will highlight findings on
research aiming to understand those challenges and also research that
addresses innovative strategies that allow forestry students and
professors and providers of non-formal education to keep abreast with
the time, such online classes, field practices, case studies among
others.
With its focus on being a communication network, ISTF can help you
connect with others interested in tropical forests and forestry. To join
ISTF, please send a message to tropicalforest...@gmail.com.
--
Sheila Ward, PhD