The International Forestry Students’ Association is one of the largest international networks of students in forestry and related sciences. IFSA is a globally organized and locally operating students’ organisation connecting forest and related science students to their peers and forest related organisations and policy platforms.

With more than 130 member associations also known as local committees (LC), spread across over 50 countries, IFSA unites thousands of students in their endeavour to learn about forests, cultures and the environment. IFSA is a non-political, non-profit and non-religious organisation that is entirely run by students.

In IFSA we seek to create global cooperation among students of forest and related sciences, to broaden knowledge and understanding and a space for youth in international forest processes to achieve a sustainable future for our forests. Through our network, we facilitate student meetings, enable participation in scientific debate, and support the involvement of youth in decision making processes regionally and globally.

IFSA’s vision of “a world that appreciates forests” describes the dream of having all the people and societies on the earth recognize the full worth of forests and fully understand forests, grasping their implications and being grateful for their multi-fold contributions to humanity.

Forests may be understood in different ways and appreciated for different reasons. At IFSA we value the importance that forests represent for all of our members — the social, environmental, and economic values that are the pillars of sustainability. Appreciating forests for their provisions of natural beauty,
timber, shade, water purification, non-wood forest products, habitat, biodiversity, recreation, carbon sequestration, energy and much more, IFSA members are realizing this vision. This vision leaves flexibility for different groups to be considered “a world”, e.g. Local Committees (LC), IFSA, groups formed based on a common thematic interest related to forests, the whole world including all people and societies. “A world” can be interpreted at different scales and sizes of groups of people.