Scientific program

The congress will begin on Monday, October 4th, with city tours and field trips for conference participants (1-hour, half-day, or full-day excursions, focused on discovering natural and/or cultural heritage), as well as a meeting dedicated to the mentoring programme—aimed at strengthening intergenerational exchange and professional development in the field of forest sciences (for those enrolled in the programme)—and a welcome reception.

The following three days (Tuesday, October 5th to Thursday, October 7th) will be devoted to scientific exchanges in a traditional format : plenary presentations will be held each morning featuring internationally renowned scientists, followed by 32 thematic symposia across 11 parallel sessions, where participants can present and discuss their work orally. In total, we expect between 300 and 400 oral presentations.

Other highlights of these three days of the scientific congress include:

• The first day will begin with an opening ceremony, featuring representatives from the organizing bodies and main funders.
• Four poster sessions are scheduled in the afternoons (mid-afternoon and evening), with half of the posters presented on the first day and the other half on the second day. These sessions are designed to extend discussions on the 32 symposia topics, particularly to give visibility to a broader audience, including early-career researchers. We expect 200 to 300 posters in total.
• Sponsor exhibitions will be held in the main hall to maximize interactions between the academic and social–economic sectors.
• During lunch breaks, informal exchanges between students, researchers, and company representatives will be encouraged through focused discussions, exhibitions in the main hall, and mentoring workshops.
• The last day will conclude with a ceremony, followed by the closing dinner.

In the evenings from October 4th to 7th, several activities will be offered, either for conference participants and/or the residents of Metz and Nancy, including science café discussions, film screenings with discussions, public lectures, art exhibitions, and for local political stakeholders, a roundtable on forest resilience in the Grand Est region.

Friday, October 8th, will be dedicated to educational activities for school students (colleges and high schools) from Metz and Nancy.

In parallel with the FORESTT International Conference, the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) will also organize the 2027 IUFRO Board Meeting :

• October 2 – in Nancy (AgroParisTech): Pre-Board Meeting of the IUFRO Management Committee
• October 3 – in Nancy (AgroParisTech): Pre-Board Meeting of IUFRO Division Co-Coordinators and
  Task Force Coordinators
• October 4-5 – in Metz (Robert Schuman Congress Center): 66th IUFRO Board Meeting