Forest@ (Dec 2015)
The tenth SISEF Congress: “Sustaining the planet, forests for life”
Abstract
After greeting the Congress participants on behalf of the Italian Academy of Forest Sciences and having recalled its role in promoting debate and innovation in the forestry sector, some brief thoughts on research in silviculture are presented. The Final motion of the Round table “The forest and man”, held in Florence in 1995, stated that “The forest is a complex biological system which has a fundamental role in maintaining life on our planet. Like all living systems, the forest has intrinsic value, it is a subject of rights which must be preserved and protected”. In the last decades a new forestry culture has developed which is based on three “E”s: Ecology, Economy and Ethics. Silviculture is a biological science and its vitality depends on its history and its ability to confront, not only on technical bases but also in scientific terms, the challenges coming from constant change. It is concluded that radical innovation is an asset of young people. They are the ones in charge of future scientific development. For this reason they must be educated to creativity and cultural independence. They must be aware of the importance of their work, which should be based on intense study and a search for excellence, even if this brings no immediate acknowledgement. If young researchers follow these rules, nothing will be precluded and success will finally arrive.
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