We are pleased to announce the 2018 Woody Crops International Conference, to be held July 23-25, 2018 in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, USA. An optional pre-conference tour showcasing poplar tree improvement in Minnesota, USA will be held July 22-23, 2018, and a post-conference tour highlighting phytotechnologies in Wisconsin, USA will take place July 25-27, 2018.
Historically, international efforts for the development of short rotation woody crops (SRWCs) focused on the production of biomass for bioenergy, biofuels, and bioproducts, while research and deployment over the past decade has expanded to include broader objectives of achieving multiple ecosystem services. In particular, silvicultural prescriptions developed for SRWCs have been refined to include woody crop production systems for environmental benefits such as carbon sequestration, water quality and quantity, and soil health. In addition, current systems have been expanded beyond traditional fiber production to other environmental technologies that incorporate SRWCs as vital components for phytotechnologies (e.g., phytoremediation), urban afforestation, ecological restoration, and mine reclamation.
The 2018 Woody Crops International Conference will bring together six of the world’s leading SRWC organizations to enhance information exchange and provide a platform for developing future collaboration around SRWC production systems.
The conference is a joint meeting of the:
Short Rotation Woody Crops Operations Working Group
Poplar and Willow Council of Canada
IUFRO Working Party 2.08.04 (Physiology and Genetics of Poplars and Willows)
IUFRO Working Party 1.03.00 (Short Rotation Forestry)
International Energy Agency Task 43 (Biomass Feedstocks for Energy Markets)
International Poplar Commission Environmental and Ecosystem Services Working Party
