The triannual IUFRO Wind and Trees Conference organised by IUFRO Unit 8.0.3.06 was held in Castelfranco Veneto from 20 to 23 June 2023. The meeting was hosted by the University of Padova at Villa Bolasco.

Overall, there were more than 70 delegates at the conference from all over the world and from as far away as Japan, Indonesia, Canada, and the USA. 37 papers were presented in four sessions: “Tree Acclimation and Adaptation to Wind”, “Case Studies and Risk Analysis”, “Climate Resistant and Resilient Forests“, and “Wind Damage Processes”, a session with 10 Flash Talks and a Poster Session. In addition there were four workshops covering “Tree pulling methodologies”, “Use of remote sensing in wind damage studies”, “ForestGALES R library fgr“, and “Use of machine-learning in ecological studies“.

At the end of the conference there was a round-table discussion in collaboration with the IEFC Annual General Assembly to discuss “Managing forests against risk”.

The final day of the conference was a one-day visit to the Asiago Plateau to observe wind damage in Norway spruce forests. These trees were planted after World War I in the 1920s to replace the trees destroyed by the almost 4 years of fighting between the Italian and Austria armies. In October 2018 Storm Vaia destroyed a huge area of forest in the area and there has been subsequent damage from bark beetles. There were presentations from the local forester about community plans for the forest and a presentation on bark beetle attacks on Norway spruce by Andrea Battisti of the University of Padova.

After the conference there was then a two-day post-conference tour to the Dolomite Mountains that was attended by more than 25 participants and partners.

Agreement has been reached with Forest Ecology and Management to publish a special issue based on the topics presented at the conference. Further, details can be found here.

Barry Gardiner, Senior Researcher, IEFC