Independent Forum on Forests

 

 Discussion Archives Links of Interest

The Independent Forum on Forests (IFF) is an informal international network aimed at stimulating independent and innovative thinking about forest management and related areas. The forum, created in February 97, and having now over 200 participants, aims at facilitating a better understanding of national and international forest policy issues and at enabling the emergence of innovative approaches to conduct forest policy.

Individuals from a wide variety of disciplines related to forest resource management (sylviculture, land use, forestry, history, ecology, timber trade and industry, etc.) are welcome to join the network so as to address, as much as possible, forest related issues in an holistic manner.

Discussing key issues pertaining to forests is the core activity of the network. Discussions are to be policy oriented, be based on best available knowledge and have an adequate degree of understandability and practicability. On the basis of the discussions, it is expected to produce discussion papers. Once these are finalized, members are freely able to use and disseminate the forum's discussion papers.

The forum's activities are expected to cover a wide range of topics. The following list presents selected topics proposed by current IFF members:

the concept of sustainability (forest conservation, preservation, etc.)
international forestry co-operation and the proposed global forest convention
certification of forest products and its effects regarding sustainable management
criteria and indicators for sustainable management (e.g. role of regional processes such as those of Montreal and Helsinki)
boycott and related campaigns regarding products originating from old growth forests
impact of large industrial groups on tropical forest resource management
incentives to sustainable management, particularly in developing countries
ethics and integrity of the profession of forestry
improvements in forest literacy in the general public

Would you be interested in participating, please send an e-mail message to majordomo@listserv.ulb.ac.be with, in the core of the message (not the subject): "subscribe iff youremailaddress". When you subscribe, please send a short presentation of yourself to the Steering Committee by e-mail at iff@sfcw.org.

Once your application has been approved, to send messages to all forum members, you need to address your e-mail message to: iff@listserv.ulb.ac.be. 
It is important to note that, in contrary to other discussion lists, such as METLA's "Forest List", messages exchanged on the forum must remain private among members.

The Steering Committee

Jean-Pierre Kiekens, Sustainable Forestry & Certification Watch, Canada
Vidar Nordin, V.J. Nordin Associates / University of Toronto, Canada
David Brand, State Forests of New South Wales, Australia

 

Questions or problems regarding this web site should be directed to webmaster@sfcw.org.
Last modified: 08-07-99.