News
New momentum for the research alliance nfz.forestnet

Participants of the biannual NFZ-Meeting at the Forest Research Institute Baden-Württemberg (FVA) in Freiburg i. Brsg., Germany
The NFZ.forestnet is a coalition of French, German and Swiss Research Institutions in Nancy, Freiburg and Zürich, engaged in natural and social science research on questions concerning forest management, forest ecosystems and forest products. The overall aim is common research and educational projects.
Eighteen representatives of the seven member institutions met at the Forest Research Institute Baden Württemberg (FVA) in Freiburg i. Brsg., Germany in November 2024. Here, the organizations adopted the prolongation of the Framework Agreement until 2029. 'The future of the forests in times of climate change' and 'participatory research and planning approaches' were the topical themes of the event.
The network receives major tailwind from the Swiss VELUX foundation in the upcoming years. The successful application for a VELUX grant now funds the "TriNational ForestLab". In this communication project, the seven NFZ.forestnet organizations work closely together with the SwissForestLab and the multi-lingual digital platform waldwissen.net, which provides popular science information about forests and forestry research. In all three participating countries, we will organize common events to foster the exchange between science, forestry practitioners, and other forest related interest groups, we will host scientific seminars, and offer interdisciplinary summer schools to young researchers interested in the topics forest and climate change. Stay tuned!
After two years, the chair of the NFZ.forestnet rotated again. Prof. Dr. Andreas Rigling from ETH Zürich handed on the baton to Dr. Meriem Fournier, Director of the Silva Joint Research Unit in Grand-Est ("l'Unité Mixte de Recherches Silva") constituted by the Université de Lorraine, AgroParisTech, INRAE, at the biannual NFZ.forestnet meeting in November 2024 at the Forest Research Institute Baden Württemberg (FVA).
We are looking forward to the continuation of the very fruitful co-operation!
Background information
NFZ.forestnet is a European research and higher education network which gathers French, German and Swiss institutions working on forestry, forest ecosystem and forest-related products. It aims at creating and developing collaborative research and education projects. NFZ.forestnet was created in 2006. The network is composed of 7 institutions, universities and research centres, in Nancy, Freiburg, and Zurich. All in all, 700 researchers and professors work in NFZ.forestnet member institutions.