The opening of the 20th National Forestry Conference, which is taking place in Trikala, was announced last night by the Minister of Environment and Energy, Kostas Skrekas.
Mr. Skrekas spoke about the a radical reorganization of the forestry services which is currently underway, with the ultimate goal of the restoration of the natural environment and the strengthening of the resilience of forest ecosystems to the impacts of the climate crisis.
«From now on, we’ll be talking about something else—a different forestry service,» emphasized Mr. Skrekas, who added: «We’re planning to significantly strengthen the new forestry service, with permanent jobs, with highly trained scientific staff, so that from now on we can bridge this gap caused by the large number of staff members retiring. »Over the past 17 years, not a single new permanent hire has been made in the forestry services. That is about to change.".
He referred to the determination of the government and the prime minister for Greece to take the lead in addressing climate change and to be at the forefront of the green transition. As he pointed out, the transition to a sustainable economy with a low environmental footprint will have significant multiplier effects for society as a whole, employment, and the real economy.
The president of the Hellenic Forestry Society, Dr. Ioannis Spanos, spoke about the significance and objectives of the conference.
The Pan-Hellenic Forestry Conference is titled “Contemporary Challenges Facing Forests in Greek Forestry and the Protection of the Natural Environment, 200 Years After the Revolution of 1821,’ and is being held under the auspices of the Ministry of Environment and Energy (YPEN), with various organizations serving as co-organizers. During the proceedings of the 20th Pan-Hellenic Forestry Conference, as has been announced, the results of scientific research in forestry and the natural environment will be announced, and their findings will provide answers to many of the pressing forestry and environmental problems facingcountry.
In addition, four distinguished scientists were honored for their contributions to the Hellenic Forestry Society (HFS) and to the field of forestry. This year’s event takes on special significance, as noted in the opening remarks, since, on the one hand, it is taking place amid the difficult and adverse conditions created by the pandemic, and, on the other hand, it is taking place in the aftermath of the recent catastrophic wildfires of August 2021. The Panhellenic Forestry Conference is held every two years, for the past 40 years since the founding of the Hellenic Forestry Society, and is the premier scientific event in Greece’s forestry sector. The conference continues today.
