The FAO Secretariat does not itself initiate or undertake research, but from experience it can suggest and encourage surweys along certain lines which appear of value from the international standpoint. Major research institutes co-operate with FAO in organizing and conducting inquiries, in some cases through the International Union of Forest Research Organizations which is holding its eleventh congress at Rome this mouth. Another example of cooperation is afforded by the Advisory Board on Pulping Tests, created early in 1953, the members of which belong to prominent research establishments. The members of the technical panels on wood chemistry and on wood technology also render a valuable service by recording the results of research and advising on their application.
At headquarters a summary of forest research and a directory of research organizations have been prepared and will be published later this year. This is a compilation of the work at 177 leading institutions which will serve as a basis for co-ordinating and integrating current forest studies, the elimination of duplication and stimulation of research to fill gaps in present programs on problems of international importance.
Under the Technical Assistance program, general advice and guidance on research has been given in several countries. Specialized advice has also been given, for instance, in regard to wood technology in India and Yugoslavia; again on wood technology and the creation of a research institute in Iran; on the development of forest and forest products research institutes in Austria; and on utilization and housing surveys in Burma. The broad project for a Latin-American Forest Research and Training Institute is making progress, and a scheme is being considered for a regional forest research center in the Near East.
FIGURE 1. Raft of Aguano (Mahogany) logs being towed into Manaus harbour
