The need for forest resource management in support of development has never been greater; the opportunities never more wide-ranging. Research, along with training and extension, is fundamental to the process, and must be given high priority if resource management is to be successful.
Every five years the International Union of Forestry Research Organizations (IUFRO) holds a World Congress. The meetings are attended by forest scientists, technical specialists, administrators and related professionals from throughout the world, and provide an opportunity for an exchange of information and ideas, for renewing or establishing important peer contacts, and for assessing the future course of forestry research.
The first IUFRO World Congress was held in Vienna in 1893. The 18th took place in Ljubljana, Yugoslavia in September 1986. In almost two weeks of congress plenary sessions, technical and working group meetings and field trips, the research programmes, problems and opportunities in the developing world received considerable attention.
It is within this area of forestry for development that FAO and IUFRO have their strongest common interests. With some notable exceptions, forestry research programmes in most developing countries are urgently in need of being strengthened if they are to provide the required scientific foundation for the expanding role of forestry in support of national economic, social and environmental goals.
The following four articles, adapted from papers presented at the 18th IUFRO Congress, illustrate just how broad the field of forestry research has become: dealing with such diverse subjects as new trends in wood construction in Asia; threats to West African wildlife; plantation forestry in Latin America; and prospects of new industrial uses for bamboo, in each case the sustainable utilization of the resource in question hinges on management, supported by research.
