(MENAFN) The Istanbul Forest Innovation Week (IFIW) concluded on Friday after five days of extensive dialogue on forest restoration, innovation in forestry, bioeconomy applications, and integrated fire management. The gathering brought together representatives from 75 countries, 30 international organizations, and more than 400 forestry experts to exchange ideas and experiences.

During the final session of the European Forestry Commission (EFC), new leadership was elected, with Slovakia assuming the presidency and Switzerland and the United States chosen as vice presidents. The next EFC session is scheduled to take place in Rome in 2027.

Throughout the week, experts underscored the growing importance of digitalization, data sharing, and innovation in advancing sustainable forestry practices. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Forestry Specialist Rebecca Tavani introduced the organization’s Open Foris initiative, an open-source toolkit that supports analysis and reporting on forest inventories, biodiversity, and activity monitoring. She explained that FAO has been providing training in this field for 15 years, reflecting its global commitment to empowering forestry professionals.

Predrag Jovic, forestry portfolio officer at the FAO Belgrade Project Office, detailed FAO’s National Forest Inventories (NFI) approach, emphasizing how its latest phase ensures continuous monitoring by collecting new data each year. This allows early identification of forest fires and other environmental risks.

Ebba Henning Planck, head of the Forest Europe Liaison Unit in Sweden, emphasized that Forest Europe’s “data-driven decision-making” model relies on consistent and comparable data collection across countries, aiming to improve the quality and reliability of forestry information.

Keith Anderson, senior advisor at the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment, highlighted Switzerland’s transition to a fully digital forest data reporting system that enables instant and transparent data sharing between institutions. He said this approach enhances efficiency and fosters collaboration within the forestry sector.

Norwegian researcher Dr. Johannes Schumacher presented the EU-funded MoniFun project, which applies federated learning methods to model forest data without direct data exchange between countries. The project seeks to establish a unified European monitoring system to support policies promoting sustainable forest ecosystems.

FAO Natural Resources Specialist Evetta Zenina spoke on the integration of carbon markets into national strategies, emphasizing the importance of strengthening institutional capacity in developing countries to better engage in these systems.

Ekrem Yazici, secretary general of the FAO’s European Forestry Commission, said the event aimed to prepare Türkiye’s forestry sector for the European Green Deal and the forthcoming European Deforestation Regulation. "Our goal is to prepare the Turkish forestry sector for the European Green Deal process, raise awareness of the potential challenges posed by the upcoming European Deforestation Regulation, and ensure the sector is ready for this process before it's too late," he said.

Following the closing session, Yazici noted that the event featured significant discussions on forest fire management, regional cooperation, and innovation. He added that the 43rd session of the EFC also took place during the week, covering topics such as circular economy initiatives, youth engagement, timber construction, forest monitoring, and advancements in data collection technologies.

He emphasized that Türkiye made major contributions throughout IFIW, particularly through the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the General Directorate of Forestry.

Organized by Türkiye’s General Directorate of Forestry in cooperation with the UN Forest Forum (UNFF) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Istanbul Forest Innovation Week serves as a key international platform for shaping future forestry policies and promoting sustainable management of global forest resources.

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