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The International Boreal Forest Research Association: Understanding Boreal Forests and Forestry in a Changing World

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Abstract

Boreal forests represent a biome of the planet whose unique characteristics are changing rapidly under the influence of both human and natural pressures. These forests hold the key to current and future supply of coniferous industrial wood and at the same time play a significant role in regulating Earth's climatic system. Expected to be one of the most rapidly impacted regions of the world by future climate change, the boreal biome has already been substantially affected by global change. It is likely that if unabated, continued change will lead to impoverishment and degradation of boreal ecosystems, with consequent loss of vital services upon which human society depends. An improved systems understanding of the functioning of circumpolar boreal forests is a pressing challenge for boreal forest science and is needed in order to estimate their resilience to perturbations, to predict likely responses to the changing environment, and to design mitigation strategies. With such understanding, coordinated international efforts can be focused on developing anticipatory strategies for adaptation to, and mitigation of dangerous consequences of global change for boreal resources. The International Boreal Forest Research Association (IBFRA) provides a focus for international research on these issues and serves as a global window for boreal forest science and sustainable forest management in the boreal region.

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  1. International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, A-2361, Laxenburg, Austria

    Anatoly Shvidenko

  2. Canadian Forest Service, Pacific Forestry Centre, 506 West Burnside Road, Victoria, BC, Canada, V8Z 1M5

    Mike Apps

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Shvidenko, A., Apps, M. The International Boreal Forest Research Association: Understanding Boreal Forests and Forestry in a Changing World. Mitig Adapt Strat Glob Change 11, 5–32 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-006-0986-6

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