Welcome to our annual meeting!

Published on29.03.2018

Welcome to the 2018 EFI Planted Forests Facility & IEFC Annual Meeting!

26-29 June 2018 | Oporto, Portugal

This year’s event marks the official transition of what has been known as EFIATLANTIC, the Atlantic Regional Office of the European Forest Institute, to the Planted Forests Facility. In addition, it will celebrate 20 years of the IEFC, paying homage to its presidents past and looking forward to its future role alongside the Planted Forests Facility.

While incorporating these important landmarks into our annual programme, it will be business as usual in terms of meeting format.

Network members are invited to participate in the open forum* which will kick off the meeting and which will be followed by the business session. A scientific seminar will then take place on the theme of Global Change and Associated Risks, exploring trends and preparedness in the planted forests of Europe.

Forest fire had a dramatic impact on Portuguese forests in 2017, the nematode is likely to spread even further as a result of climate change and infestations of eucalyptus weevil have a huge economic impact given the increasing importance of Eucalyptus in Portugal’s economy.

The scientific seminar will therefore provide an opportunity to address these issues, as well as to provide an overview of European initiatives which aim to mitigate these risks and of the improvement of the different risk management plans proposed within the PLURIFOR project. Simultaneous translation into English, French, Spanish and Portuguese will be available.

The meeting will be rounded off with a field trip, which will take you northwards to visit different planted forests illustrating the management of risks discussed in the seminar, as well as to do a little cultural tourism.

* If you are an EFI Planted Forests Facility or IEFC network member or a local organisation and you would like to present your work, project or initiative during this open forum, then please submit the title of your presentation on the registration form (under “Offer of a voluntary paper”)

The meeting is organised with the support of the School of Agriculture (ISA) and the Union for Southern European Foresters (USSE).