International Day of Forests Webinar 2023
Welcome Message
In order to commemorate International Day of Forests 2023 (https://www.un.org/en/observances/forests-and-trees-day), MDPI is launching a special webinar to encourage researchers to join together and raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests.
The theme for 2023 is "Forests and health”. Forests provide so much for our health. They purify the water, clean the air, capture carbon to fight climate change, provide food and life-saving medicines, and improve our well-being.
It’s up to us to safeguard these precious natural resources. International Day of Forests 2023 calls for giving, not just taking, because healthy forests will bring healthy people.
We are very much looking forward to seeing you at the International Day of Forests Webinar 2023. Please find below an up-to-date outline of invited speakers.
Conference Secretariat
Event Host
Journal Relations Specialist of Forests (ISSN: 1999-4907),
PhD Candidate at Faculty of Forestry, University of Belgrade
Mr. Filip Vasić's research is focused on wetlands, specifically on ecosystem services that wetlands provide, land use, and climate change influence on wetlands, as well as policy and conservation-related topics in this field. Currently, he is doing research on soil carbon stock in Serbian wetlands (mostly Ramsar sites).
Invited Speakers
Photo by Jakub Ostałowski,
Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw,
Editorial Board Member of Forests (ISSN: 1999-4907)
The Influence of Forest Structure and Diversity on Ecosystem Functioning and Human Well-Being
Prof. Dr. Bogdan Jaroszewicz is an academic researcher at the University of Warsaw, Professor of Ecology, specialising in the ecology of forest ecosystems. Since 2005 he has been heading the Geobotanical Station in the Białowieża Forest - the most natural temperate forest in Europe. Prof. Jaroszewicz has contributed to research in the field of functional ecology, seed dispersal ecology, climate change effects on biodiversity, plant-animal interactions, resulting in over a hundred publications in high-impact journals. He is currently involved in the Biodiversa-funded Dr FOREST project, which aims to investigate the benefits and risks of forest diversity for human health and well-being.
Department of Crop and Forest Sciences and Agrotecnio Center, University of Lleida,
Joint Research Unit between the Forest Technology Center of Catalonia and Agrotecnio,
Section Editor-in-Chief of Forests (ISSN: 1999-4907)
Europe in the Age of Megafires: We Created a Monster and Now We Are Making It Worse
Prof. Dr. Víctor Resco is a scientist working on the mitigation of some of the main problems currently threatening the sustainability of our society, such as global change, wildfires, and pollution. He is an associate professor of forestry at the University of Lleida and one of the most highly cited scientists in the fields of plant sciences and ecology.
Circadian Ecology Plant-Fire interactions Ecosystem development
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Nippon Medical School Hospital,
Guest Editor of Forests (ISSN: 1999-4907)
Beneficial Effects of Forest Environments (Forest Bathing/Shinrin-Yoku) On Human Health
Dr, Qing LI (MD, PhD) graduated from Shanxi Medical University and got PhD from Kagoshima University in Japan. He is a professor at Nippon Medical School, President of the Japanese Society of Forest Medicine, Director of the Forest Therapy Society, Vice-President and Secretary General of INFOM. He has studied at Stanford University. He received Society Award from the Japanese Society for Hygiene in Forest Medicine in 2021 and University Award from Nippon Medical School in Forest Medicine in 2011. Some people study medicine. Some people study forest. Dr. Li studies forest medicine to find out all the ways in which walking in the forest can improve our well-being. He started the forest medicine research (Shinrin-yoku/Forest bathing/Forest therapy) from 2004 and has published many articles in forest medicine in scientific journals. The terms of forest bathing and Shinrin-yoku in English were first defined in his paper (Li Q, et al. Forest bathing enhances human natural killer activity and expression of anti-cancer proteins. Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol. 2007;20(2):3-8.) He established the new science, Forest Medicine and published Forest Medicine in 2012 in the USA (https://novapublishers.com/shop/forest-medicine/). This book has been translated into Chinese and Korea. His book: Shinrin-Yoku was published by Penguin Random House UK in 2018 (https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/308285/shinrin-yoku/9780241984857.html). The book also was published in the USA under the title of Forest Bathing in 2018 (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/579709/forest-bathing-by-dr-qing-li/). Forest Bathing ranked in the bestseller list in the USA).
Department of Environment and Development Studies, United International University,
Tropical Forests and People Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast,
Department of Earth and Environment, Florida International University,
Section Board Member of Sustainability (ISSN: 2071-1050),
Guest Editor of Environments (ISSN: 2076-3298),
Guest Editor of Forests (ISSN: 1999-4907)
Prof. Dr. Sharif A. Mukul is an Associate Professor at Department of Environment and Development Studies in the United International University, Bangladesh. He is also an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow in Tropical Forests and People Research Centre at the University of the Sunshine Coast (Australia) and an Honorary Research Assistant Professor of Earth and Environment at Florida International University (USA). He is also the founding director of Centre for Research on Land-use Sustainability, an online global platform aiming at research, consultancy, and decision-making on land-use related issues in the tropics with greater societal well-being sitting at the core of its principles. Besides, he is a core member of the ALERT - Alliance of Leading Environmental Researchers & Thinkers, a global scientific think-tank that helps world-class researchers have a concerted, highly credible voice on key environmental issues. He has a background in forestry, and natural resources and environmental management from Australia (University of Queensland), Denmark (Copenhagen University), Germany (Technical University of Dresden), and Bangladesh (Shahjalal University of Science and Technology). His previous research includes coupled human and natural system dynamics with particular emphasis on sustainable use, management, and conservation of forests and biodiversity. Currently, he is more enthusiastic about applied ecology and conservation related research with particular interests in forest and landscape restoration, carbon forestry, multifunctional landscapes, and ecosystem services.
Interests: biodiversity conservation; ecosystem functioning and processes; land-use/cover dynamics; forests; rural livelihoods; socio-economic aspects of forestry
Webinar Recording
Recording:
Program
|
Speaker/Presentation |
CET |
|
Webinar Introduction |
9:00 am – 9: 10 am |
|
Prof. Dr. Bogdan Jaroszewicz The Influence of Forest Structure and Diversity on Ecosystem Functioning and Human Well-Being |
9: 10 am – 9: 40 am |
|
Prof. Dr. Víctor Resco de Dios Europe in the Age of Megafires: We Created a Monster and Now We Are Making It Worse |
9: 40 am – 10: 10 am |
|
Prof. Dr. Qing Li Beneficial Effects of Forest Environments (Forest Bathing/Shinrin-Yoku) On Human Health |
10: 10 am – 10: 40 am |
|
Prof. Dr. Sharif A. Mukul Recognizing the role and importance of forests in human health: Perspectives from Global South |
10: 40 am – 11: 10 am |
Registrations
This is a FREE webinar. The number of participants to the live session is limited but the recording will be made available on Sciforum shortly afterwards. Registrations with academic institutional email addresses will be prioritized.
Can’t attend? Register anyway and we’ll let you know when the recording is available to watch.
Organizer
Special Issues
Forests:
Forest Health: Forest Insect Population Dynamics
edited by Celia K. Boone and Katherine P. Bleiker
submission deadline: 30 April 2023
Forest, Trees, Human Health and Wellbeing
edited by Anna Maria Palsdottir, Patrik Grahn and Jonathan Stoltz
submission deadline: 30 August 2023
Land:
Diversifying Forest Landscape Management Approaches
edited by Michael Manton, Per Angelstam, Andra-Cosmina Albulescu and Mariia Fedoriak
submission deadline: 10 May 2023
Remote Sensing:
Advances in Vegetation Structure Modelling to Support the Sustainable Development Goals Acquisition through Forest Management
edited by María Teresa Lamelas and Dario Domingo
submission deadline: 31 May 2023
Journal of Fungi:
Tree Fungal Disease Problems
edited by Leena Hamberg
submission deadline: 31 May 2023
Taxonomy, Systematics and Evolution of Forestry Fungi
edited by Xinlei Fan, Sajeewa Maharachchikumbura and Jadson Diogo Pereira Bezerra
submission deadline: 30 September 2023
Insects:
Integrated Pest Management in Agricultural Crops and Forest Ecosystems
edited by Nickolas G. Kavallieratos, Dimitrios Avtzis and Maria C. Boukouvala
submission deadline: 15 December 2023
Arthropod Trophic Associations in Natural, Urban, Agricultural, Aquatic and Forest Ecosystems: Destabilizing Agents
edited by Erifili P. Nika and Nickolas G. Kavallieratos
submission deadline: 31 December 2023
Atmosphere:
Forests and Climate Interactions
edited by Álvaro Enríquez-de-Salamanca
submission deadline: 2 June 2023
Agronomy:
Efficient Utilization of Soil and Water Resources in Agroforestry Systems
edited by Ruoshui Wang, Yuguo Han and Tibin Zhang
submission deadline: 20 April 2023
