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NordGen Forest Celebrates its 50th Birthday – and You’re Invited!

Date: 2020.09.07

Each year, NordGen Forest gathers hundreds of people working or studying in forestry in the Nordic countries. Through NordGen Forest’s thematic days, conferences and scholarships important projects have been established, fruitful networks formed, and new ideas borne. This year, the Nordic collaboration within forests has existed for 50 years. That calls for celebration – and you’re invited!

When: 16 September 2020, 12.00-13.00 CEST
Where: Online – Register here

Everything started at a bar in Paris in 1966 and a meeting between a Dane, a Norwegian and a Swede after an OECD-meeting on forest seeds and plants.

Tore Skrøppa. Foto: NIBIO

“After a long day of meetings, they went to a bar where they agreed that better collaboration between the Nordic countries within the field was needed. Four years later, the Nordic Council for Forest Reproductive Material (NSFP) was established” said Tore Skrøppa, now retired Forest Researcher who was involved in the work at the time.

Promote Nordic cooperation

NSFP had its first meeting in October 1970 with two representatives from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Iceland joined at later stage. The council’s mandate was to promote the Nordic collaboration in forestry, to follow relevant research, to initiate new research projects, contribute to education, conferences and excursions and to gather the Nordic views in international issues.

“It’s basically the same things as we do today. Our thematic days and conferences are very popular and we have many high quality applicants to our scholarships. The need to collaborate on forest issues in the Nordic countries has not decreased, rather the opposite” said Kjersti Bakkebø Fjellstad, Section Leader at NordGen Forest.

Since 1970, the Nordic collaboration on forests has constantly evolved. NSFP was organised under the Nordic Council of Ministers in 1986 and was also included the work with conserving forest genetic resources in 1996 – something that today primarily takes place in the Working Group for Genetic Resources. Since 2008, the Nordic forest cooperation is incorporated with the Nordic cooperation for plants and the Nordic cooperation for farm animals, in what today is known as NordGen.

Digital celebration

NordGen Forest is an active, flexible and inventive 50 years old. So, when Covid-19 meant that the physical part of NordGen Forest’s thematic day last spring had to be cancelled, a digital version was arranged instead (see all the lectures here). And now, when the annual conference and the 50 years celebrations couldn’t take place as planned, we will once again turn our attention to technology. Because although the conference is cancelled, a birthday party can still take place online.

Therefore, you are very much welcome to participate in NordGen Forest’s online 50 Years celebration on the 16^th of September at 12.00-13.00 CEST (GMT+2). Please register your participation no later than the 14^th of September at 12.00.

The celebration will include historical flashbacks, new research findings and of course a birthday toast. Welcome!