13th International IBFRA Conference

Background,,The boreal forest, the second most extensive terrestrial biome on earth, constitute roughly one-third of the global forested areas (1.4 billion ha). The utilization of the wood resource from the boreal forests has historically played a vital economical role in the development of societies in the countries of the boreal zone. Even today many boreal countries have economies heavily dependent on their forest sectors. ,,At the same time boreal forests are increasingly becoming a high-profile topic on the international political agenda. Many areas in the boreal zone are seen as virgin untouched old-growth forests which are extremely important to have preserved. The ecological importance is highly valued and the understanding of the biotic and abiotic characteristics of the dynamics in the boreal forests is a necessary condition for determining the potential for sustainable development of these forests. In order to achieve sustainablilty, a number of ecological factors contributing to sustainability such as some of the themes of this conference must be considered in any future management system. ,,How do we achieve a sustainable boreal forest management? This is the central question to be addressed in this 13th IBFRA conference.,,