XXV IUFRO World Congress: Forest Research and Cooperation for Sustainable

It is with great satisfaction that Brazil is hosting the 25th edition of the IUFRO World Congress. This year’s theme, "Forest Research and Cooperation for Sustainable Development," is very fitting now that the issues of production, preservation, environmental services, and their influences on a global scale have moved beyond purely technical debates in closed academic or business circles to become part of everyday life for urban as well as rural dwellers. In this sense, holding an event like the IUFRO World Congress in a country like Brazil, which has its forest DNA rooted in its large-scale diversity and the productive capacity of its planted forests, is very timely. We are even prouder knowing that this is only the second time this event is taking place in the Southern Hemisphere, and the first time in Latin America. Participants will have an opportunity to exchange knowledge with researchers and professionals from over 120 countries on a wide range of forest-related topics. It will also be a chance for us to show off our Country, which so many people have heard about. However, only a few have had the chance to experience Brazil’s unique characteristics and striking regional diversity. This Special Edition of the Brazilian Journal of Forestry Research is a collection of approximately 2.700 abstracts. Each is one piece of a puzzle of questions and challenges faced by scientists in different social or regional conditions combined with a myriad of solutions. Coincident findings should support policymaking. Conflicting results or approaches should arise curiosity and trigger the search for consensus. We hope all together they pave the way to new products, new approaches, and new ways of looking at our future.