North American Forest Commission reviews strategy for region’s forests
Inspecting longleaf pine in Mississippi @FAO/Robertson Leslie25 September 2023, Fredericton, Canada – The North American Forest Commission meets this week to drive forward progress on forestry issues in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
The 32nd Session of the Commission – taking place in Fredericton, Canada, 25-27 September – will discuss topics including climate change, forest fires, pests and diseases, urban forestry, illegal logging, forest genetic resources, silviculture, forest monitoring, and forest communications in the region.
“Forests are fundamental to life on Earth. We need to tackle the challenges boldly, and we need to do so now, if we are to achieve the Global Forest Goals and the SDGs by 2030,” said Zhimin Wu, Director of FAO’s Forestry Division, at the opening session.
FAO, which leads the UN’s work mapping and monitoring forests and promoting sustainable forest management, will provide updates on the relevant global developments, processes and initiatives since the Commission last met in 2021.
Solutions for global development
The Commission meeting comes as the world faces multiple crises and forests are increasingly seen as key elements of any solution for global development and environmental challenges.
As North America contains a mix of boreal, temperate and tropical ecosystems, the results of the Commission’s work can be applied more broadly to assist other countries and regions facing similar conditions.
The North American Forest Commission meets every two years and is one of six regional forestry commissions established by FAO to provide a policy and technical forum for countries to discuss and address forest issues on a regional basis.
There will be a progress report on the recommendations of the last session and reviews of the research and activities of the Commission’s nine working groups which focus on areas of concern to the three countries.
The full agenda and supporting documents can be found here and the country reports and recommendations of the session will be published on the Commission website once the session closes.
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