The 5th International Electronic Conference on Forests

Name: The 5th International Electronic Conference on Forests
Start: 2026-09-13T22:00:00
End: 2026-09-15T22:00:00

Forests at the Crossroads: Integrating Ecology, Technological Innovation, and Governance

Part of the International Electronic Conference on Forests series

Event's Timezone: Central European Summer Time

forest ecology, remote sensing, sustainable forest management, wood science, climate change, wildfire, ecosystems service, tree physiology

Event Registration

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The IECF 2026 is Now OPEN for Abstract Submission and Registration.

Instructions for authors are available online.
Submit your abstracts HERE. 

For any inquiries, please contact us at iecf2026@mdpi.com.

Welcome from the Chairs

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to extend a warm and heartfelt welcome to each of you on behalf of the organizing committee of the 5th International Electronic Conference on Forests—Forests at the Crossroads: Integrating Ecology, Technological Innovation, and Governance, which will be hosted online and promoted by the open access MDPI journal Forests (ISSN: 1999-4907; IF: 2.5).

The aim of this gathering is to bring together academics, practitioners, and innovators whose works shape the future of forest science. Participants come from a wide range of institutions and professional backgrounds across the globe, each contributing valuable experiences, perspectives, and insights that reflect the complexity and diversity of our planet’s forests.

Forests stand at the center of some of the most pressing global challenges and opportunities. The discussions at this conference will explore the intricate dynamics of forest ecosystems, from their biodiversity and ecological functions to their role in sustaining communities and mitigating climate change. Topics will also encompass advances in sustainable management, innovative monitoring technologies, the science and trade of forest products, and strategies to address threats such as wildfires and environmental degradation. Together, these conversations will provide a holistic view of the vital role forests play in ecological balance and human well-being.

By hosting this event under the Forests journal, we aim to create an inclusive and collaborative space where ideas can flourish beyond geographical boundaries, where research findings can inspire practical action, and where diverse disciplines can intersect to find solutions for a sustainable future. Particular attention will also be given to encourage active participation by young scientists, ensuring that the next generation of forest researchers can help shape the path forward.

Throughout the conference, we aim to cover—among others—the following topics:

S1. Forest Ecology and Sustainable Management;
S2. Forest Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services, and Earth Observations;
S3. Wood Science, Production Chains, Fuelwood and Trade;
S4. Forest Inventory, Modeling and Remote Sensing;
S5. Wildfires and Other Forest Disturbances;
S6. Forest Ecophysiology, Genetics and Molecular Biology.

Once again, welcome to IECF 2026. We look forward to a stimulating and rewarding experience.

Kind regards,

Dr. Mark Vanderwel, University of Regina, Canada
Dr. Nikolay S. Strigul, Washington State University Vancouver, USA
Chairs of the 5th International Electronic Conference on Forests

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Event Chairs

Dr. Mark Vanderwel

Department of Biology, University of Regina, Regina, Canada

Dr. Nikolay S. Strigul

Department of Mathematics and Statistics, College of Arts and Sciences, Washington State University Vancouver, Vancouver, USA

Session Chairs

Prof. Dr. Luis Ángel Ruiz

Department of Cartographic Engineering, Geodesy and Photogrammetry, Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), Valencia, Spain

Prof. Dr. Krzysztof Stereńczak

Department of Geomatics, Forest Research Institute, Braci Leśnej 3 Street, Sękocin Stary, 05-090 Raszyn, Poland

Event Committee

Prof. Dr. TianXiang Yue

Institute of Geographic Science and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

Prof. Dr. Georgios Mallinis

School of Rural and Surveying Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece

Sessions

S1. Forest Ecology and Sustainable Management
S2. Forest Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services, and Earth Observations
S3. Wood Science, Production Chains, Fuelwood and Trade
S4. Forest Inventory, Modeling and Remote Sensing
S5. Wildfires and Other Forest Disturbances
S6. Forest Ecophysiology, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Registration

The registration fee includes attendance to all conference sessions.

When registering as an "Academic", please register with your academic email address, as this will accelerate the registration process. If you are registering several people under the same registration, please do not use the same email address for each person, but their individual university email addresses. Thank you for understanding.

Participation to the conference is considered final only once the registration fees have been paid. The number of participants is limited: once the number of paid registrations reaches the maximum number of participants, unpaid registrations will be cancelled.

Please note that, in order to finalize the scientific program in due time, at least one registration by any of the authors, denoted as the “Covering Author”, is required to cover the presentation and publication of any accepted abstract. The “Covering Author” registration deadline is 15 August 2026. Your abstract will be withdrawn if your registration is not completed by this date.

Finally, only registered authors will be able to apply for the Conference Awards.

Group Discounts:

Group of 3, 5% off;
Group of 5 or more, 10% off;
Group of 10 or more, 15% off.

	Early Bird Until 19 July 2026	Regular Until 9 September 2026	Supported documents
Author, Reviewers, Topical Advisory Panel Members, Review Board Members, Guest Editors	30.00 CHF	50.00 CHF
Student	30.00 CHF	50.00 CHF	Please upload the front and back of your valid Student lD card.
Academic	50.00 CHF	70.00 CHF
Non-academic	100.00 CHF	150.00 CHF

Free Registration Options

	Supported documents
Conference Chairs, Session Chairs, Committee Members of the Conference, Keynote Speakers, Invited Speakers, MDPI Guests, Editorial Board Members	Please upload your invitation email.
Listener (will receive the Zoom link for the live session — no certificate)

Cancellation policy

Cancellation of paid registration is possible under the terms listed below:

> 2 weeks before the conference	Full refund
< 2 weeks before the conference	No refund

Disclaimer
We will endeavour to present the program advertised. However, MDPI and its partners reserve the right to alter or cancel, without prior notice, arrangements, timetables, plans, or other items relating directly or indirectly to the 5th International Electronic Conference on Forests—Forests at the Crossroads: Integrating Ecology, Technological Innovation, and Governance. MDPI and its partners are not liable for any loss or inconvenience caused as a result of such cancellation.

Beware of Unauthorized Registration
Note that Sciforum is the only official registration platform to register to IECF 2026. Beware that entering into financial agreements with non-endorsed companies can have costly consequences.

Insurance
The organizers do not accept liability for personal accident, loss, or damage to private property incurred as a result of participation in the event.

Payment methods

Wire transfer, Credit card

Currencies accepted by this event

Swiss francs (CHF) , Euros (EUR) , US dollars (USD) , Pounds sterling (GBP) , Japanese yen (JPY) , Canadian dollars (CAD) and Singapore dollars (SGD)

Instructions for Authors

Procedure for Submission

The 5th International Electronic Conference on Forests will accept abstracts only. The accepted abstracts will be available online on Sciforum.net during and after the conference.

Important Deadlines

1. Deadline for abstract submission: 17 May 2026.

2. Abstract acceptance notification: 16 July 2026.

You will be notified of the acceptance of an oral/poster presentation in a separate email.

Abstract Submission

Abstract submissions should be completed online by registering with www.sciforum.net and using the "Submit Abstract" function once logged into the system. No physical template is necessary.

1. The abstract structure should include the introduction, methods, results, and conclusions sections of about 200–300 words in length.
2. All abstracts should be submitted and presented in clear, publication-ready English with accurate grammar and spelling.
3. You may submit multiple abstracts. However, only one abstract will be selected for oral presentation.
4. The abstracts submitted to this conference must be original and novel, without prior publication in any journals or it will not be accepted to this conference.

Detailed Requirements:
1. The submitting author must ensure that all co-authors are aware of the contents of the abstract.
2. Please select only one presenter for each submission. If you would like to change the presenter after submission, please email us accordingly.

Note: We only accept live presentations.

Oral Presentation and Slides Preparation

The slot for the oral presentation is 15 mins. We advise that your presentation lasts for a maximum of 12 mins, leaving at least 3 mins for the Q&A session.

Authors are encouraged to prepare a presentation in PowerPoint or similar software, to be displayed online along with the abstract. Slides, if available, will be displayed directly on the website using the proprietary slide viewer at Sciforum.net. Slides can be prepared in exactly the same way as for any traditional conference where research results are presented. Slides should be converted to PDF format prior to submission so that they can be converted for online display.

Poster Presentation

- Should include the title, authors, contact details and main research findings, as well as tables, figures and graphs where necessary.
- Size in pixel: 1080 width x 1536 height–portrait orientation.
- Size in cm: 38, 1 width x 54, 2 height–portrait orientation.
- Font size: ≥16.
- Examples of successful submissions can be viewed here at the following links: (1), (2), (3).
- You can use our free template to create your poster.
The poster template can be downloaded HERE. We will reach out to you closer to the dates of the conference with more information.

Potential Conflicts of Interest

It is the author's responsibility to identify and declare any personal circumstances or interests that may be perceived as inappropriately influencing the representation or interpretation of clinical research. If there is no conflict, please state "The authors declare no conflicts of interest." This should be conveyed in a separate "Conflict of Interest" statement preceding the "Acknowledgments" and "References" sections at the end of the manuscript. Any financial support for the study must be fully disclosed in the "Acknowledgments" section.

Copyright

MDPI, the publisher of the Sciforum.net platform, is an open access publisher. We believe authors should retain the copyright to their scholarly works. Hence, by submitting an abstract to this conference, you retain the copyright to the work, but you grant MDPI the non-exclusive right to publish this abstract online on the Sciforum.net platform. This means you can easily submit your full paper (with the abstract) to any scientific journal at a later stage and transfer the copyright to its publisher if required.

Publication Opportunities

Forests Journal Publication
Participants in this conference are cordially invited to contribute a full manuscript to the conference's Special Issue (to be updated), published in Forests (ISSN: 1999-4907, Impact Factor: 2.5), with a 20% discount on the publication fee. Please note, if you have IOAP/association discounts, conference discounts will be combined with IOAP/association discounts. Conference discounts cannot be combined with reviewer vouchers. All submitted papers will undergo MDPI’s standard peer-review procedure. The abstracts should be cited and noted on the first page of the paper.

Proceeding Paper Publication
If participants wish to publish an extended proceeding paper (4–8 pages) to Environmental and Earth Sciences Proceedings (ISSN: 3042-5743), please submit it after the conference.
Authors are asked to disclose that it is a proceeding paper of the IECF 2026 conference paper in their cover letter. Carefully read the rules outlined in the 'Instructions for Authors' on the journal’s website and ensure that your submission adheres to these guidelines.
Proceedings submission deadline: 31 October 2026.

Manuscripts for the proceedings issue must be formatted as follows:
Title.
Full author names.
Affiliations (including full postal address) and authors' e-mail addresses.
Abstract.
Keywords.
Introduction.
Methods.
Results and Discussion.
Conclusions.
Acknowledgements.
References.
Please click HERE to submit your proceeding paper to Environmental and Earth Sciences Proceedings.
eesp_proceeding_paper-template.docx

Event Awards

To acknowledge the support of the conference's esteemed authors and recognize their outstanding scientific accomplishments, we are pleased to announce that the conference will provide 6 awards including Best Oral Presentation Award and Best Poster Award.

The Awards

Best Oral Presentation Award and Best Poster Award

Number of Awards Available: 6

The Best Oral Presentation Awards are given to the submission judged to make the most significant oral contribution to the conference.
The Best Poster Awards are given to the submission judged to make the most significant and interesting poster for the conference.
There will be six winners selected for these awards. The winner will receive a certificate and 200 CHF each.

Sponsors and Partners

For information regarding sponsorship and exhibition opportunities, please click here.

Organizers

Media Partners

Conference Secretariat

Ms. Vivien Zhang
Ms. Riley Liu
Ms. Ann Li
Email: iecf2026@mdpi.com

For inquiries regarding submissions and sponsorship opportunities, please feel free to contact us.

S1. Forest Ecology and Sustainable Management

S2. Forest Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services, and Earth Observations

S3. Wood Science, Production Chains, Fuelwood and Trade

S4. Forest Inventory, Modeling and Remote Sensing

Session Chair

Dr. Krzysztof Stereńczak, Forest Research Institute, Department of Geomatics, Braci Leśnej 3 Street, Sękocin Stary, 05-090 Raszyn, Poland

S5. Wildfires and Other Forest Disturbances