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.
We invite panel proposals (and encourage interactive sessions) as well as individual paper proposals and welcome all contributions with relevance to forest related policies. We encourage you to submit to one of the five specific themes emphasising the overall objective of the conference, and its focus on power and politics, and questions of social and environmental justice. Alternatively, you can submit your panel or paper proposal to the open category (theme 6).
When and where? In-person or hybrid?
The IFPM5 meeting is a 3-day in-person event organised by the University of Helsinki, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, and will take place in the University’s Viikki Campus from April 10th to April 12th. We will try to offer a hybrid solution in exceptional cases.
Fee and registration
The conference fee is €150. Registration will open in December 2023.
Deadlines and key dates
How to submit proposed panels and individual paper presentations?
All panel and paper proposals should be submitted no later than September 30 (before midnight CET) to the following address:
How to submit a panel: Panel proposals can refer to a collection of 3-5 papers or to more interactive sessions, incl. co-creation workshops, science-policy discussions, or other formats. The submission should consist of a panel abstract setting the overall theme of the panel and, if applicable, 3-5 paper abstracts (all abstracts must be less than 350 words).
Names, institutional affiliations, and email addresses of the panel convenor(s) and presenting author(s) for all papers must be included. The panel convenor(s) submit the proposal on behalf of all panel participants, i.e., the papers belonging to a panel should NOT be submitted individually.
PANELS: https://elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/124175/lomake.html
How to submit a paper (that is not part of a panel): Paper submissions should consist of an abstract (350 words) accompanied by names and institutional affiliations of all authors. The email addresses of presenting author(s) must be included. Papers belonging to a panel proposal should NOT be submitted individually.
INDIVIDUAL PAPERS: https://elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/124176/lomake.html
Note that ideally one of the 5 conference themes is specified by panel and paper submissions. Other submissions not matching a specific theme but relevant to forest policy can be directed to the theme 6 “Forest People, Policy, Instruments, Impacts” as the open category.
Questions?
For questions, please contact ifpm5@helsinki.fi or contact any member of the organizing committee.