Call for Panels and Papers

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5th International Forest Policy Meeting – A Political Forest

Helsinki, 10-12 April 2024
hosted by the University of Helsinki

Forests, trees, and forested lands are claimed for many purposes. They provide for materials such as timber, pulp and non-timber products; and also for carbon, for biodiversity, for soil and water protection; as well as for energy and rural development. They provide space for recreation, eco-tourism and socio-cultural and spiritual values in the global North and South alike. Many of these interests are interconnected, and they entail critical cross-sectoral and transboundary interdependencies. In these highly contested and connected spaces with a myriad of powerful (and less powerful) interests at play, policies related to forests and forest lands shape and are shaped by the outcomes of actors’ negotiations and impositions of their interests. These interests reflect underlying institutional histories, discourses, and information at various levels, domestically, regionally (e.g., the EU), and internationally. Science and research, and especially social sciences, is required to unpack and critically examine forest policy, decision making and implementation processes and practice, and assess its implications for people (including historically underrepresented groups, women, and youth) and planet.

The 5th IFPM is an in-person event and aims to provide an open environment to present, interact and critically discuss new insights to wicked problems. One major purpose of the meeting is to facilitate networking and dialogue amongst forest policy interested researchers with a particular emphasis on creating a safe and nurturing atmosphere for early-career researchers to present and discuss their work.

The call for panels and papers is open. 

All panel and paper proposals should be submitted no later than September 30 (before midnight CET).

Further info and instructions: here

Deadlines and key dates

  • May 15, 2023: Call for papers published
  • September 30, 2023: Submission deadline for proposed panels and papers
  • December 1, 2023: Acceptance/rejection of panels/papers. Registration opens.
  • January 10, 2024: Deadline for registration 
  • March 1, 2024: Conference program published
  • April 10, 2024: Start of conference

For more info, see conference website.

Photo by Satu Ikonen-Williams