News Release Distributed 11/15/10
Two international forest products marketing groups recently launched a collaborative, global forest products marketing “current issues” website, according to officials with the two organizations.
The website was built and is hosted by the Louisiana Forest Products Development Center in the LSU AgCenter, said Rich Vlosky, director of the forest products unit. It contains more than 1,000 documents available for downloading.
The site is a joint program of the United National Economic Commission for Europe/Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the International Union of Forest Research Organizations.
“It is the most comprehensive repository in the world of information on major issues that impact global forest sectors,” said Vlosky, who is team leader of the United Nations’ team of specialists on forest products marketing.
Visits to the website have grown dramatically from 400 in 2004 to more than 119,000 in 2009, Vlosky said. The website address is www.UneceFaoIufro.lsu.edu.
The cooperative venture grew out of joint meetings in Japan and the Republic of Korea in August, 2010, organizers said.
“The two groups have interacted informally over the past five years, including developing a global list of forest products marketing experts which is posted on both organizations’ websites,” said Ed Pepke, forest products marketing specialist in the Forestry and Timber Section of the UN agency.
Rick Bogren