IBFRA 12th Annual Conference

Congratulations to the following IBFRA award winners:

Jill Johnstone -- Best Presentation by a New Scientist

Les Viereck -- Best Poster Presentation

Print your itemized IBFRA Conference 2004 receipt

Submit your journal preferences

Publication in special issues of journals

View the updated attendee list

Listen to Terry Chapin and Dave McGuire's interview on Alaska Public Radio

Group photos taken at conference (10.6 Mb zipped)

Alaska Fire Service field trip photos (10.6 Mb zipped)

The Bonanza Creek Long Term Ecological Research Program and the International Boreal Forest Research Associaton (IBFRA) announce an international science conference on "Climate Disturbance Interactions in Boreal Forest Ecosystems" is scheduled to be held May 3-6, 2004 at the Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge in Fairbanks, Alaska, U.S.A.

Background

The boreal forest, which is the second most extensive terrestrial biome on earth, represents a wood resource of global significance that is an important part of the cultural and economic wealth of northern countries. During the relatively brief (10,000 yr) history of the boreal forest in its current location, it has experienced radical changes in climate, vegetation, and fauna. Warming during the last 30 years has been associated with warming and melting of permafrost, changes in growth rates of dominant trees, increased area burned, insect outbreaks, and changes in vertebrate populations. The causal links among these changes and their implications for the functioning of the boreal forest and the people who inhabit this region are not completely understood. The structure and functioning of the boreal forest determines and is influenced by its disturbance regime. Fire, insect outbreaks, timber harvest, and flooding are important disturbances. The extent and distribution of these disturbances are changing rapidly as climate warms, human populations grow, and socioeconomic conditions change. To understand the current and future structure, diversity, and functioning of the boreal forest, it is important to understand how climate and disturbance interact and the implications of these interactions for ecological, economic, and cultural sustainability of the boreal forest.

Conference objectives

To present and discuss the current scientific understanding of climate-disturbance interactions in the circumboreal region
To discuss the unique ecological, economic, and social conditions that influence management decisions regarding disturbance, climate change impacts, and adaptation to climate change in the boreal region
To bring a circumpolar perspective to research initiatives
To foster cooperation and an exchange of ideas among countries in the circumpolar boreal forest

Program Committee

Dr. A. D. McGuire, Chair -- University of Alaska/USGS, United States
Dr. M. Apps -- Canadian Forest Service, Canada
Dr. F.S. Chapin III -- University of Alaska, United States
Dr. S. Conard -- USDA Forest Service, United States
Dr. M. Fukuda -- Hokkaido University, Japan
Dr. T. Karjalainen -- Finnish Forest Research Institute, Finland
Dr. S. Linder -- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden
Dr. D. Schulze -- Max-Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Germany
Dr. A. Shvidenko -- Int. Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Austria
Dr. E. Vaganov -- V.N. Sukachev Institute of Forest Research, Russia
Dr. C. Wirth -- Max-Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Germany

Who should attend

Researchers and students in academia, government, and industry
Forest managers and industry leaders
Non-governmental organizations, government and policy advisors, and others interested in the implications of climate-disturbance interactions in boreal forest ecosystems

Download our essential conference information file containing all the preliminary information found on this web site.