Call for Papers XXVI IUFRO World Congress 2024

The Human-Forest Relationship Research Club of the Finnish Society of Forest Science and its network members are organizing two sessions under the THEME 4: Forests for sustainable societies at the XXVI IUFRO Congress in Stockholm, Sweden, 23 – 29 June 2024.

Call for Abstracts is open and we welcome submissions of abstracts for presentations in sessions:

Please submit your abstract latest 15.6.2023.

You can find more information via these links:

Session descriptions:

T4.17 Human-Forest Relationship I – Ambiguity in “taking care of the forest”

  • Our session contributes to an exploration of the concept’s potential for understanding human-forest relationships. We invite diverse forms of engagement with the concept in relation to forests and their utilization that cover various practices of ‘taking care of the forest’ and/or ‘owning a forest’, their incorporation into culture and their embeddedness in political and institutional structures – be they conceptual or empirically grounded. Central questions for our session are: What does it mean to take care of or to own a forest, in times of climate change and multiple crises? How do people develop and maintain a caring relationship to ‘their’ forest? How is decision-making (in forestry) shaped by relational, social and emotional dimensions? What role do different understandings and practices of care and ownership play in forest conflicts? Do concepts and policies in contexts of bioeconomy, circular economy or biodiversity transform how forests are taken care of? Does a caring relationship towards forests in capitalistic societies remain principally an utopian idea? Or might forests in fact be taking care of humans?
  • Organizers: Jana Holz (Institute of Sociology, Friedrich-Schiller-University, Germany), Jaana Laine (LUT University, Lappeenranta, Finland), Ronja Mikoleit (Forest Research Institute Baden- Württemberg & Freiburg University, Germany)

T4.33 Ways of knowing about multiverse of human-forest relationships: methodological approaches for sustainable futures for the forests

  • In this session, we introduce different methodological viewpoints of studying human-forest relationships from future oriented perspectives and by introducing new methodological approaches into discussion through short talks by invited experts. Expert talks are followed by facilitated roundtable discussions to co-develop emerging methodological approaches with conference participants. We invite participants from different disciplinary backgrounds who are interested in new, innovative, future-oriented ways of knowing about forests and human interactions with them. We offer conference participants also possibility to submit a poster related to the session theme, however, participants can also take part of roundtable discussions without posters. Discussion of various methodological approaches from different disciplines enables us as researchers to reflect critically on our own methodological traditions, refine traditions to be more advantageous for future-oriented forest related studies, and explore new methodologies. This inclusive discussion, co-development and learning process regarding the different approaches from various methodological backgrounds can produce new types of forest-related research with innovative research approaches and novel outcomes, supporting more sustainable futures for forests and their utilization.
  • Organizers: Eeva-Lotta Apajalahti (LUT University, Finland), Annukka Näyhä (University of Jyväskylä, Finland), Maija Halonen (University of Eastern Finland), Tuulikki Halla (University of Eastern Finland), Terhi Ek (University of Jyväskylä, Finland), Eeva Houtbeckers (Untame research collective, Finland) & all organizers (Human-Forest Relationship Research Club and Network, The Finnish Society of Forest Science)