We had five tables, three questions, and one goal: to reflect together on why<\/strong> IFM is needed, what<\/strong> barriers stand in the way of its wider adoption, and how<\/strong> collaboration can help drive progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why \u2013 The roots of resilience<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When the first question was asked \u2013 Why do we apply integrative forest management? <\/em>\u2013 the answer came as a series of insights that rooted back to one word: resilience<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Participants spoke of forests that must endure uncertainty \u2013 storms, pests, changing climates, and shifting societal expectations. To strengthen resilience, they agreed, is to ensure that forests can provide multiple goods and services \u2013 timber, biodiversity, recreation, clean water \u2013 without losing their vitality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One participant captured it simply: \u201cIt\u2019s about balancing production with diversity and all the other ecosystem services society depends on.\u201d Another added that IFM is \u201ca means of compromise\u201d \u2013 between societal interests, biodiversity conservation, and the needs of forest owners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stories emerged from practice too. A forest owner had started planting oak, \u201cjust to do something different,\u201d his peers recounted. This small spark of curiosity became a symbol of innovation \u2013 a forest that is more diverse and resilient. It showed how change often begins quietly, with one decision that ripples outward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And as others noted, IFM is also an act of education: \u201cIt\u2019s not just on paper. Everybody can see how it looks outside in the forest.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n What \u2013 Between vision and reality<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As the conversation turned to practice, the tone grew more grounded. Implementing IFM, the groups agreed, is demanding, held back by limited training, a shortage of skilled contractors, and insufficient financial incentives. The forestry systems in many countries are still \u201cset up for big machines,\u201d which makes closer-to-nature approaches harder to apply. Some raised issues like deer pressure, fragmented ownership, or the need to better adapt IFM to regional contexts where conditions and traditions differ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIntegrative forest management is more complex to manage,\u201d as the conversation went. \u201cThere are more things you have to take into account \u2013 and for that reason it\u2019s more costly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet behind each challenge lies persistence. In smaller forests where hiring a professional was unaffordable, owners learned by doing, guided by peer exchange and shared experience. Participants also discussed the importance of valuing the benefits of IFM \u2013 not just timber, but carbon, water, biodiversity, and the social value of healthy forests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How \u2013 Growing together<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The final question \u2013 How can we collaborate better?<\/em> \u2013 explored the potential of working side by side to support a widespread adoption of IFM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Forest demonstrations and peer learning were seen as powerful catalysts for change. \u201cIf one forest owner plants differently, a neighbour might follow. It takes one person to break the ice,\u201d as one reflection captured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The conversation grew into a reflection on networks \u2013 the need for \u201cchampions\u201d who inspire others, and for meetings that bring people together not just professionally, but as a community. Collaboration, participants noted, requires translation \u2013 not just between countries and professions, but also for society. \u201cForesters talk to each other in the same language,\u201d one participant observed. \u201cBut society needs to understand us too so that we can show improvements and gain acceptance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Inclusion was another key theme: being mindful of local customs, power dynamics, and the ways policies align across EU and national levels. The discussion closed with a clear takeaway: investing in collaboration and education today builds resilience and understanding for tomorrow, avoiding the higher costs of restoration later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A living conversation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The World Caf\u00e9 in Dublin ended with a sense of shared direction. \u201cWhy Integrative Forest Management?\u201d one participant reflected aloud. \u201cBecause we can. Because it\u2019s possible \u2013 and our skills keep growing. We can<\/em> do it, and that\u2019s exactly why we do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This message lingered in the room long after the discussions ended \u2013 as an affirmation of what unites the Integrate Network: the belief that forests, like communities, grow stronger through diversity, dialogue, and care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And in that shared space \u2013 between the forest and the meeting room, between policy and practice \u2013 something continued to grow: understanding, trust, and the quiet confidence that IFM remains a living practice, strengthened by dialogue, tested by challenges, and carried forward together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In early October, the Integrate Network representatives gathered in Dublin, Ireland, for their annual meeting \u2013 a few autumn days brought together forest owners, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners from across…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":745,"featured_media":18691,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[80,2,127,150],"tags":[27,24,25,161,162,33],"class_list":["post-18682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-biodiversity","category-environment","category-event","category-forestry","tag-biodiversity","tag-forest-management","tag-forest-policy","tag-ifm","tag-integrative-forest-management","tag-network-integrate"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/integratenetwork.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/integratenetwork.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/integratenetwork.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/integratenetwork.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/745"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/integratenetwork.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18682"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/integratenetwork.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18682\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18695,"href":"https:\/\/integratenetwork.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18682\/revisions\/18695"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/integratenetwork.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/integratenetwork.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/integratenetwork.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/integratenetwork.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/integratenetwork.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_1485-1024x768.jpg\")
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